Hero Academy: Year Two
by Chatting Airborne
Summary: AU. Sequel to Hero Academy. Sora wakes from a semester long sleep with hazy memories and Organization Thirteen at his side. With darkness looming and friends changed, can Sora push through a new year of love, rivalry, betrayal, and revelation unscathed? He thought he had everything figured out. Who knew junior year could be this rough? M for sexuality/ violence/ language.
1. Awakening

**A/N: Hello again everyone! After a two week hiatus, I am back with year two** **of Sora's adventure through the Land of Departure Key blade Academy: more twisted, bizarre, and suggestive than the first.** **As noted in Year 1, this story will dive into Mature territory towards the end. Until then, it will be rated T. It will include a variety of pairings, mostly involving Sora. It will be longer than the first. Sadder, in some ways. More complex. The first third will follow Sora's summer vacation. The second two thirds will follow the rest of the year.**

 **If you are new to this story, I encourage you to read Year 1. It is titled _Hero Academy._ If you are uninterested, I think this is a good standalone. We will be seeing a LOT more of Organization Thirteen, and as also said before, major protagonists and antagonists in the KH series will rise to the forefront. Please enjoy, review, favorite, and follow. Feedback is invaluable.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own KH, FF, yada yada. I got the idea for my chapter design from Princess-Xion's _Finding Hikari._**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter One_**

~X~

Sora spluttered awake in a world of white. Blinding bright light seared from all sides. He winced and raised his hands over his eyes, hunching into himself and curling his toes. Then he realized he was floating in midair. In panic he reached for wall. When his fingers met smooth glass, he furrowed his brows in confusion. The wall curved. Sora swam through the air, feeling the smoothness encasing him on all sides. It was as if he were stuck in some ellipsoid container. He was barefoot. Something crinkled as he moved. When he adjusted to the light and looked down, his stomach flipped. He was sheathed in a white hospital gown.

Trapped.

In anxiety Sora felt around the container for an escape route. The ellipsoid was cut by four seams. They met at its head; each of the seams' tips measuring ninety degrees. Once Sora found their crossing point, he floated towards it and set himself so that his hands pressed against the back wall and his feet pointed at the wall in front of him. Then he began to kick. A loud beeping noise rang above. Sweat beaded upon Sora's brow. He reeled his foot back and kicked harder. Muffled voices rose somewhere in the distance. When Sora kicked again, a crack appeared in the eerie white surrounding. Outside of it rose a shout. Before Sora could kick again, a metal whirring ascended and a thrumming click echoed around him. The front two seams of the ellipsoid hissed and separated. As they lowered Sora peered over their pointed tips. Mist billowed around him, displaced by the sudden appearance of the world outside his egg, a white room with marble pillars and translucent flowers. The twinkling heads of several other containers like his own thrummed around him. Sora clutched remaining seam edges of his own and let his feet dangle. When he looked down, he yelped. There, watching his splayed legs and crazed expression in a small huddle were several Shinra employees, half of Organization Thirteen, and the small, pale blonde he had seen at the beginning of winter break.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Sora," called a voice behind her. When Sora looked up he met two emerald feline eyes and gasped.

"I died?" he barked. Axel rolled his eyes from Reno's side as Reno guffawed.

"No," Reno amended. "You were just in a magically induced coma."

"What?" Sora croaked. He could have said something else, but before he did, his floating powers wore off and he slammed to the bottom of his container. He propped himself up on his elbows as he rubbed his back. Now that he looked around with a clearer eye, he saw that his entrapment looked like a hard-boiled egg with petals on its base and the front cut in two. The pale blonde girl rushed to a small computer at the egg's side and toggled with the features, yelping an apology as Sora stumbled to his feet. Several hands met him as he climbed from the white steel petals on the egg's base to flat ground. When Axel peered closer at the egg, he scowled.

"Tip is cracked," he announced.

"What?" wailed the pale girl, charging forward to examine it. When she saw the faint splintering of glass at one of the flattened seam's tips, she clutched her hands to her hair and whimpered.

"Can we just replace the pane?" drawled Axel.

"Expensive," whimpered the girl. Axel rolled his eyes.

"No shit, it's expensive-"

"Sora!" Reno interrupted suddenly, throwing out his arms and giving the boy a massive hug. His hospital gown crinkled violently. When he pulled Sora away, he laughed again.

"You're a late riser!" he chirped.

"What?" asked Sora.

"You were one of the last to wake up," shot Axel.

"Why?"

"We don't know," responded Reno in a bemused sort of way. "But we figured if you wanted to sleep, we'd let you sleep. We just kept an extra close eye on you incase you woke up without us noticing."

"In case something like this happened," added Axel with a sly grin.

"But we're pleased to report that your reflexes and ingenuity upon waking were stellar!"

"Though we can't say the same for your recuperation after the sleeping mist settled."

"When did it settle?" asked Sora.

"Thirty days, six hours, twenty minutes ago," responded the pale girl from the computer.

"A month?" gasped Sora. He looked at the surrounding containers again. Their insides were clear and empty. The color drained from his face.

"Where are Kairi and Riku?" he whispered. The color drained from Reno's face twice as fast. Axel glanced away with a hint of a smile. Reno beamed.

"Kairi's on a mission," he chirped. "Riku's sleeping sound."

"Sora wasn't the only late riser, was he?" Axel asked Marluxia suddenly. Marluxia grinned and nodded. When he met Sora's eye his glanced sharpened and narrowed. Sora became aware that his body was bare save for his laminated gown. he clutched it around his back and shuffled is toes together in discomfort. Marluxia gave a curt bow. Then he turned with the rest of the Organization and Shinra employees and left. The only remaining humans in the mechanical egg room now were the pale girl, Sora, Axel, and Reno. For a moment there was silence. Sora glanced from one empty egg to the next, picking out the largest and cocking his head.

"Which one is Riku's egg?" he asked as he peered into its soft, hazy glass. Reno slipped his hand around Sora's shoulder and steered him towards the door.

"He's in a separate room," he said. When they reached the identical white hall outside, he turned to Sora with a grim expression and sighed.

"I might as well tell you the truth," he muttered, glancing ahead of him with hesitation. "Riku's darkness got a little, uh… 'Out of hand' towards the end of his… trip in the egg."

"What does that mean?" asked Sora. What felt like a fist had tightened around his heart. Reno bit his lip.

"We woke him up a ways back and he didn't look so good," he muttered. Then he winked. "But after setting him back to sleep we helped him recuperate. He should be right as rain by summer's end."

"Summer's end?" blurted Sora. Reno nodded.

"Yeah, Sora, it's summertime!"

"What date?" asked Sora.

"July twenty fourth," Axel responded behind them.

"JULY-" Sora stammered in shock. He could hardly remember getting into the egg in the first place, let alone sleeping through half a year of his life in one. As he struggled to remember how Organization Thirteen had gotten him into the egg in the first place, Reno steered his shoulder again. They were walking down an adjacent white hall to a set of double doors without handles. Beside the double doors was a metal rectangle with two triangular buttons inside it. One pointed up and the other pointed down. Suddenly a memory came crashing back.

Standing in the exit stairwell to the school's basement after saying goodbye to Argento. Hearing echoing voices from below. Seeing the exit to the back of the school open. The wooden crate on wheels. The yelp of the pale girl.

 _"What's your name?"_ Sora's voice echoed in his memory.

 _"You'll find out soon enough,"_ the phantom girl responded through its chords.

"You can thank Naminé for letting you sleep longer," Reno piped up, pressing the elevator up button and waiting with his hand on his hip for the doors to open. "We contemplated waking you with everyone else, but she said that that was a bad idea. Something about 'disturbing the dream world.' I don't know. I'm only an elected official," he winked.

"She does seem kind of… frazzled," Sora acquiesced, mouthing her name to himself so he could memorize it. Reno nodded and said it seemed like a tiring job.

"Especially dealing with the Organization," he muttered. "Those bozos don't know their heads from their tails."

"Ouch," Axel snapped. Reno jumped and laughed. "I forgot this dunderhead was still following me," he groaned. Axel snorted.

"So… will I go back to Destiny Islands for summer vacation?" Sora asked. Reno pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Sorry kid. No can do," he apologized. "Galactic Federation Vessel left weeks ago. We couldn't pay to take you home if we wanted to."

"You'll have to stay here for the summer," Axel chimed in.

"Oh," Sora faltered, his brows knitting closer. Finally, the green-coated light bulb above shone as the elevator doors opened. Inside stood Larxene and Marluxia with their backs turned. They seemed to be in deep conversation. When Axel cleared his throat, they jumped and whizzed around. Reno waved at them with Sora grinning at his side. Marluxia narrowed his eyes and cast his glance to Axel.

"Just the pair I wanted to see!" Axel announced as he looked from one to the other. Marluxia and Larxene snorted and filed to his side, trading places with Reno and Sora. As the elevator doors closed, Axel waved goodbye and returned back down the hall with the other members of Organization Thirteen. The elevator beeped. Reno reached past Sora to press the button for the second floor. His cologne wafted up Sora's nose. Another memory filtered with it. Sora shaking beneath the table at the burger joint. Reno reaching over him to pick up a five-dollar bill. Vomiting into the mangrove infested lake below the joint's balcony. Sora felt queasy again just thinking about it. As he rubbed his stomach, Reno leaned on the wall behind him and whistled along to the pop music playing from a speaker on the elevator's ceiling. Sora became suddenly aware that the two of them were alone.

"You listen to Yuna?" asked Reno.

"Who-na?" muttered Sora. Reno laughed and repeated himself slowly. Sora shook his head. Reno furrowed his brows and grinned.

"Doesn't she come from Destiny Islands?"

"She'd be from Luca if she did," responded Sora glumly. "I know everyone on my archipelago, and her name doesn't ring a bell." Then he narrowed his eyes and gasped, swiveling around with a beam. "But my Native Tongue professor was named Yuna! She sang in the Yevonite choir!"

"Was she a summoner?" asked Reno.

"No, she was an elementary school teacher," responded Sora.

"Then I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's not her," returned Reno. "Unless your Native Tongue teacher goes to this school."

"Nah…" responded Sora. "She'd be too old."

Reno chuckled. The elevator beeped and the doors opened. Familiar territory washed through the path of Sora's eyes. Concrete floors, the exit door, and the stairwell leading all the way around the school's third floor. When Reno trudged up and through the second floor door and turned left, he told Sora to follow him. Once the pair had passed all the empty classrooms and offices, Reno turned another left and took a key from his pocket. He picked the third door down the wall and shoved the key into its lock, turning the knob and pressing his shoulder against it until it swung inwards. Once it opened, Reno guided Sora inside.

The office was sparse yet comfortable. It was much bigger than Axel's- in fact, this room seemed more like a disused lecture hall than anything else. The rising steps where seats must once have sat bolted on an incline ended in a small platform that housed Reno's desk. Sora felt like he was climbing up to a stage. Along the wide steps teetered filing cabinets piled with folders. Reno crossed to the one marked "M- N," opened the drawer marked "first years," and thumbed towards a rather fat folder that looked like it said "Nomura." Once he hoisted it in his arms and shut the filing cabinet with his backside, Reno whistled his way back to his desk and spread the folder's contents across its surface. As he sat down, he called Sora to his side. Sora plopped before Reno's desk in expectation, readjusting his hospital gown and staring at Reno's framed photographs as he waited. There was one of Reno and the bald, sunglasses man he had sat with during midterms. Then there was one of himself and a band of Shinra employees in blue suits. The bottom of the picture read "Doom Squad- 1989." When Reno saw Sora staring at it, he snorted.

"Ah," he worded with a sigh, "the self important stupidity of the young and talented." Then, patting the picture frame fondly, he returned to skimming through Sora's folder with a whistle. When he settled on a page near the back of the pile, he scribbled his signature and drew a fat circle around some print on the page bottom. Then, checking off a few boxes, he drew it to the side and scribbled notes on the page behind it. When Sora peered over his elbow to see what he was writing Reno explained that he was recording Sora's date of awakening. Sora nodded like he understood what that meant.

"In other words, today, Sora," Reno added. Sora furrowed his brows before blushing in realization. When the scraping of Reno's pen filled the room again, Sora peered towards the wall perpendicular to the office door, where a blackboard must have once stood, judging by the position of the wall's cracks. There were tiny rust marks along the ceiling. The floor must have once sat carpet. Now it was barren concrete with odd scuffs of industrial glue. Sora wondered if all the offices in the school were this dilapidated. But, then again, the office with the skull candle Sora had sat in during his first year had been homey. Suddenly, Reno's pen stopped and a sigh filled the air. Sora glanced towards him. Reno sat with his fore and middle finger pressed to the center of his temple, right above the space between his brows. His eyes shut. His teeth bore. Sora shuffled in discomfort. Reno groaned.

"What was I supposed to do?" he muttered. He curled his hand into a fist and tapped it against his forehead. Then, with a gasp, he shot up with wide-open eyes and a grinning mouth and clapped his hands. "Of course!" he cried. Then he hunched over and scribbled more on the extensive line of notes he had been writing. Once he finished he marked the note page with a sticky note and thumbed back through Sora's packet until he reached a thin, spiral bound report labeled, "continuing." Reno curled himself over the first page of the report before nodding and standing with it. Snapping his fingers, he leaned over the right lower drawer of his desk, opened, and thumbed through it until he reached a fat black binder labeled, "Record Keeping." As he flipped it open and scanned for the divider marked N- P, Sora asked what mission Kairi had been sent on. Reno glanced up at him with one beady eye.

"None of your business," he muttered. "Missions are top secret."

Sora's shoulders fell. When he set his elbows against Reno's desk so he could set his chin against his palms, Reno swatted them away. Sora leaned back in his chair and twiddled his thumbs.

"Junction Menu," Reno intoned. Sora frowned in confusion.

"Junction?"

"Junction Menu," Reno repeated. "Doesn't ring any bells?" He flipped back into the folder and scowled, leaning back and rolling his eyes. "Stupid…" he muttered.

"Stupid?" blubbered Sora. Reno snorted.

"Not you, me," he sighed, holding up the binder and yelping when a couple of papers fell out the bottom. Sora scrambled to pick them up. As Reno caught them in his hand and stuffed them haphazardly into the back of the binder, he muttered that he had tried giving Sora someone else's journal. When Sora replied with a glance of confusion, Reno explained that all first years maintained a journal while in their dream pods.

"The journal is the interface between your mind and our computer," he said. "We pose your mind the idea for the journal, and once you name it, we're in. Now, if I could just find yours… Ah!" Reno closed the binder in his hands and strolled to a stack of spiral bound reports on the top of the filing cabinet nearest to the door, glancing down their spines and picking at random. The second pick seemed to be the ticket by Reno's grin. "Jiminy Journal," he piped.

Sora clamped his hand to his head. The room spun. Images of a cricket the size of his palm tipping a top hat as it bowed to meet him, a child sized duck, a man sized dog, a Destiny Islands cut into ugly fragments of crumbling beach and black, tar winged trees with a dark cleft dug in the middle, and a towering door with stained glass fragments in a field of black crackled before his eyes like wildfire. Overlaying the stream like a monster magnified from outside a fish tank, drew a curious, distorted Reno.

"Remember something?" he drawled. The question echoed inside Sora's spinning head. Once he was able to calm himself, Sora gulped and asked what it was.

"What's what, Sora?" murmured Reno.

"The images!" blurted Sora. Reno pursed his lips and blew through them.

"Shit," he muttered to himself. When he leaned towards Sora, he smiled.

"Are you pulling my leg?" he cooed.

"My hand is nowhere near your leg!" Sora cried. Reno rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

"Term of expression, Sora," he sighed. "I'm wondering if you're joshing me. Having me on. Playing a joke."

"I'm not doing any of that!" Sora cried. "When you said Jemima Journal-"

"Jiminy, Sora."

"-Jiminy Journal, I got this train of images in my head!"

"Such as?" asked Reno, thumbing through the spiral report labeled _Jiminy Journal: Sora Nomura_ , as he went.

"A duck, a dog, a cricket, my island destroyed-"

"Your island destroyed? Hm. That part must not be in yet. Can you remember either the duck or dog's name?"

"Uh, Ronald?" blurted Sora. "Scooby? Gloopy?"

"Goofy?"

"Yeah!" cried Sora. A strange, hiccupping laugh reverberated inside his head. For some reason it made him feel happy. "Yeah," he grinned in remembrance. "Goofy and Ronald."

"You mean Donald and Goofy."

"Yeah, what I said."

"Right…" sighed Reno. He slammed the spiral shut and scribbled a long note and his signature on the back. Then, returning to and searching through his desk again, he came out with a short purple form and filled it out. Once he was done, he removed the plastic strip blocking a line of adhesive on the form's end and attached it to the back of the report. When he was finished this, he took the binder labeled _Record Keeping_ and scribbled a signature on a chart close to its back. Then he scribbled a signature on the bottom of a form in Sora's main file. When he asked Sora to initial after him, the boy nodded and did what he was told. Once everything was signed, Reno scribbled out another purple form, slammed it on the front of Sora's file, and replaced it in its filing cabinet. With this done, he fished a walkie-talkie from his middle desk drawer and called the number eleven into it. There was a short spurt of heavy static in response. Reno snorted and muttered, "very funny." Then he plopped in front of his desk and waited. Sora copied him.

"You still not going to tell me what mission Kairi is on yet?" he asked. Reno shook his head.

"I'm great at keeping secrets," Sora tried. Reno chortled. There was a wrap on his office door. Before he could say, "come in," Marluxia entered.

"You wanted me?" the man asked. Reno nodded and asked for him to sign some paperwork. Marluxia nodded and shuffled up the steps to Reno's side, bending and scribbling his signature over Reno's shoulder as the man turned pages for him. On the last page, Reno asked Sora to sign as well. When Sora's hand faltered over the empty box, Marluxia glared.

"Time's a-wasting," Reno drawled. "Wouldn't want us to rethink your probation, would you?"

"I'm off probation?" gasped Sora. Whether Marluxia opened his mouth to object or concur, Sora never knew. Before he could speak, Reno held up his hand for silence and nodded with a beam. Sora jotted down his name. The moment his pen left the fresh inked paper, the form disappeared into a manila envelope at the left hand side of Sora's massive file.

"All paperwork done!" sang Reno with a finite dot of his pen. As he closed Sora's folder and made to hoist it under the pit of his arm, Sora piped up to ask what he would do for the rest of the summer.

"That's out of my jurisdiction," Reno chirped as he emptied Sora's file back into the cabinet marked N- M. Once back at his desk, he sealed the manila envelope, hoisted it under his arm, jogged back down the steps, and emptied the stack of spiral reports on the cabinet nearest to the door into an empty rolling cart at its side. It cleared the last step with a thud. Reno chucked the manila envelope on top of it. Once it fell he clamped his hand to his forehead and asked Marluxia to walkie his team for him.

"Which of them?" asked Marluxia.

"I don't know, the captain, Cid, Cisnei, whoever," Reno drawled. "Just get me to Costa Del Sol."

Marluxia muttered something nearly unintelligible into the walkie-talkie as Reno gave him what sounded like a run down of Land of Departure operations. When he finished talking he legged it back to his desk and removed several belongings, including the nametag he wore on a daily basis.

"I think that's the last of it," he mumbled. He grinned, sauntered back down the steps, and patted Sora on the shoulder with a wink. Then, he snapped his fingers and ran to the desk one more time, his forefinger held high in emphasis. "One more thing," he muttered.

"You said you wanted a mission, Sora?" he asked. Sora nodded. Reno grinned, fished one last stack of forms from his desk's left drawer, and scribbled his signature onto the bottom of them all. Once he was finished, he dashed back down the stairs and chucked the form stack into Marluxia's arms as he left.

"An internship?" asked Marluxia as he read through the top of the stack. Reno nodded. The pair walked together outside Reno's office with Reno's paperwork cart pulling up a squeaking rear. Reno bent close and asked how Sora's final report was coming along. Sora tiptoed towards Reno's office door and craned his neck to listen as Marluxia responded. Their voices waned with the echo of stairs. Sora followed. They appeared to be heading for the school's front doors. Reno dashed down the steps to the entrance hall and stopped.

"Five hours?" he snapped. Marluxia shrugged in apology.

"It will take quite some time to edit and print."

"I don't want it edited," Reno hissed, as if this point had been harped upon before. "I want it printed and nothing else."

"Well if you want it raw we can have it to you in two hours."

"What the fuck is that girl doing down there, painting her nails?"

Reno remembered Sora was there and muttered an apology. Sora blushed and said it was fine. Marluxia gritted his teeth.

"She is working very hard," he murmured, "to make sure protocol is followed."

"I've got Axel for that," responded Reno. Marluxia looked hurt. When he recovered he responded, "We can have it to you in an hour. It takes that long to print and notarize."

"Just have her notarize this one," Reno scowled, throwing the report labeled, "continuing," into Marluxia's hands. "Have her come up here and sign it right now- with the paperwork."

Marluxia nodded and mumbled into his walkie-talkie again. Ten minutes later, Axel dashed towards them with another envelope of paperwork. Naminé trailed behind him with her arms hunched at her sides, a creature of fluorescence wincing at the sunlight from the wide windows at her sides. When she noticed Sora she blushed and nodded in greeting. Sora did the same. Then she signed the "continuing" report and dashed away with Axel. Reno flipped through the report and accompanying envelope of signed files and smiled in satisfaction. Then, closing it all up and dumping it into his data cart, he swiveled on his heel and disappeared out the front double doors. When a groan encapsulated the entire valley outside, Sora dashed out to meet it.

Reno stood with his hands stretched on either side of him, paperwork cart swaying dangerously in the breeze at his side. When Reno finished enjoying the weather, he grabbed its handle. "Vacation, here I come," he said. Then he turned to Sora and asked if he wanted to walk with him. Sora nodded. As they curved down the mountain path towards the summit Reno apologized for cursing. Sora forgave him in a mumble. Reno beamed.

"I know you're wondering why I can't take you back with me, but it's against the rules. You either go to school or home. Course, if you were in Organization Thirteen you could go wherever you wanted."

"Really?" asked Sora. Reno laughed.

"We send those bozos everywhere and all they do is mess stuff up."

"That… sucks," Sora tried. Reno patted him again.

"I'm boring you with staff meeting drama. Do you have any questions for me before I head off?"

"Why are you leaving?" asked Sora.

"I wasn't supposed to be here at all this summer," responded Reno. "If thirty days of your vacation was cut traipsing around giant eggs, filling out paperwork, and staring at your brother and his cronies, wouldn't you want out?"

Well, half of Sora's summer vacation had been spent in a deep sleep, and the other half he would be stuck at school. But he decided not to say anything.

"We sent your parents a letter," Reno tried. "You'll be fine. I just authorized the creation of a paid internship with Organization Thirteen for students over fifteen and nominated you."

"But I'm not over…" Sora's eyes widened in realization. His birthday was in April. He had spent all of spring in a pod. He was a year older.

"I know hearing about it like this sucks," Reno apologized. "I made Marluxia promise to throw you a birthday party before school starts."

"Am I going to be alone with… them?" asked Sora.

"Organization Thirteen?" responded Reno. "Only half of them. Marluxia, Larxene, Axel, Zexion, Vexen, and Lexaeus. Oh, and Naminé. And you might come across Terra, Aqua, Eraqus, Ventus, or Vanitas-"

"Vanitas?" Sora cried. His stomach started doing cartwheels. "Will Roxas be around?"

"No, unfortunately, but Riku should be waking up soon!"

"When will Kairi be back from her mission?"

"Summer's end."

"Oh," Sora mumbled. His shoulders sagged. Reno pursed his lips as he looked at him. Then his eyes widened as Sora's hospital gown crinkled in the wind.

"Where are my manners?" he beamed, slipping off his dress jacket and throwing it over Sora's shoulders. At over eight inches too long, it barely swallowed him. Reno laughed when he looked at him. "I was so ready to go I forgot you were in that gown. Wonder what that jacket would have looked like when you were fourteen. You must have shot up five inches, at least."

"Still more room to grow!" said Sora with hope. Reno beamed. Then he threw out his arms for a hug. Sora reciprocated with trepidation. The gown crinkled violently beneath Reno's jacket as the redhead pressed his hands around the boy's waist. When Reno pulled away, he winked.

"Tell Axel if anyone is mean to you," he whispered. "He's my spy." Sora tried not to scowl. "And use the money from your internship to buy yourself some new clothes."

When Reno attempted walking away, Sora asked what had happened inside the pod. Reno closed his eyes in understanding.

"I'm really sorry this is happening like this, Sora. I am. You should have woken from that pod knowing exactly what happened in there. For some reason your memory is in bits. I'll be talking to my superiors about it. In the meantime, tell Marluxia to get me your finished report."

"Okay," said Sora, standing straighter. Reno saluted him. Then the redhead turned, waved goodbye, and continued towards the summit. Sora watched until he disappeared completely. A cough sounded when the gleaming black surface of a rocket rose through the clouds in the distance. When Sora turned around, he noticed Marluxia standing a distance from him.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asked. Sora nodded and followed him back up the mountain path, silent save for the crumpling of his hospital gown. Eventually the peak of the school towered over them, and they were inside, back in Reno's spacious office, mounting the steps to his desk. Marluxia sat at it in satisfaction. Sora's internship paperwork spread out before him.

"I suppose you have questions," the man muttered. Sora blinked. Marluxia glanced up in expectation.

"About… what?" Sora asked dumbly. Marluxia narrowed his eyes.

"Are you aware you have been housed at this school in some shape or form for close on a year?"

"Feels like it's been a semester," Sora sighed.

"During the second semester of your first year at the Land of Departure Key blade Academy, the remainder of your class was put into a coma," Marluxia announced. "Through this coma each of you was transported into a simulated reality inspired by the unique life experience of yourself and those closest to you. We monitored these realities from computers plugged into the sides of the pods you slept within. The goal of each simulated reality was to awaken a vision quest, a spiritual coming of age. Your performances in your vision quests told us if you were worthy of becoming heroes. Once we decided your classmates' worthiness, we allowed them to continue their second year with us. Those deemed unworthy returned home."

"So… was I deemed worthy?" Sora asked. His heart hammered.

"Well that's the trouble, Sora," Marluxia cooed. "Once each vision quest ended, we shut off the sleeping mist inducing each of your comas and collected and transcribed each of the "journals" your minds kept into hard documents. In the two weeks following the collection of journals most of your classmates woke up. A panel of judges scored each quest out of one hundred points. Then, expulsion and acceptance letters were sent out, the Galactic Federation vessel rolled in, and everyone bar Reno, the latter half of Organization Thirteen, and the denizens of the Land of Departure traveled home for summer vacation."

"Why did Reno stay?" asked Sora.

"Because of you," Marluxia chirped. "You kept dreaming after the sleeping mist wore off. We could not review your journal because it remained incomplete. But, now that you are awake, we'll be able to compile it and send it straight to Eraqus for judgment."

"It won't be judged by a panel?" asked Sora.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances it will not," echoed Marluxia. "Each of us will give recommendations and Eraqus will review all data accordingly." Sora bit his lip and asked if there was any way he could help his chances in the meantime.

"Let's get you an internship first," Marluxia responded. He slid the appropriate forms straight for Sora's middle. When Sora caught them, he signed the circled boxes and handed it all back. After Marluxia reviewed it, he held out his hand for Sora to shake. Sora took it. Marluxia beamed.

"Welcome to Organization Thirteen, Sora," he winked. Sora said thanks and stood, fumbling when Marluxia gave him a packet of paperwork to look over. As Sora turned to leave, Marluxia stopped him. Sora swiveled around.

"One more thing," Marluxia sighed, pressing his forefinger up. "Something I'd like you to keep in mind while it's just us around here."

"What?" asked Sora in curiosity. Marluxia's eyes narrowed and sharpened the same way as when Sora had descended from his memory pod. The man's lips parted. He wetted them with his tongue.

"Don't disturb Naminé."

~X~

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 **A/N: Please follow, favorite, and review!**


	2. The Sound of Freedom

~X~

 ** _Chapter Two_**

~X~

 _"Don't disturb Naminé."_

The thought sailed Sora to sleep and greeted him when he woke up the next morning. When he squinted into consciousness with one earplug ringing his morning alarm and the other laying across the pillow at his side, he realized that for the summer, he had a full dorm to himself. With a grin he jumped up and stared around. All beds and room corners were barren of covers and personal belongings bar his own. It felt lonely. But it felt good. Sora catapulted himself towards his window and pushed it open, sucking in the brisk summer air and letting his eyes flutter closed. Then, giggling, he charged over and popped his earplugs from the watch Argento had given him, turning up his alarm volume full blast until the sound of sweet freedom rung throughout the entire room. Sora beamed. Then, suddenly, a loud wrapping against his door made him yelp and dash under his covers.

"Turn that fucking thing off!" snarled a familiar, muffled voice from outside. It took all of Sora's self control not to wet the bed.

Vanitas.

"Did you hear me, you little termite?" the voice hissed. The handle jiggled and nearly broke off the hinges. Vanitas seemed to be trying to break down the door. Sora stifled a whimper. The sound of the upperclassman's shoulder ramming against the wood reverberated like a dull drum beat. Soon another, deeper voice rose through the hall as well.

"Hey!" it called. Sora furrowed his brows. This voice sounded familiar, too, but only in a fleeting way.

"What the fuck is going on?" it growled. Vanitas swore under his breath.

"That little fucker turned his alarm full blast."

"Wasn't Sora expelled?"

"No, wise guy, why else would his alarm be playing?"

"Hey, Sora, could you turn your alarm off?"

 _"I'll just pretend I'm not here…"_ Sora wheezed to himself. He clamped his teeth to stop them clattering. If he stopped the alarm now, things would sound suspicious.

"Maybe they sent him back with Reno and he left the alarm behind?" the deep voice inquired.

"Bullshit," snarled Vanitas. "He's in there being an asshole as usual."

"Sora, cut it out."

"What's going on?" called a third voice.

 _"Son of a nutcracker…"_ thought Sora as he shut his eyes in terror. As the door rapped harder, he peeked one eye from his blankets and directed it towards the window. Little manakins and gulls fluttered by unperturbed. If he could just break out and climb along the school spires amongst them, he might make it out of here alive…

"I'll get Lexaeus and see if he can unlock it. He has all the keys."

 _"Lexaeus?"_ Sora thought. He remembered Lexaeus being the Geology club professor, not the keeper of the keys. But maybe jobs rotated during the summertime.

"You hear that, Sora? We're coming in whether you like it or not," Vanitas sneered.

Sora bit his lip and dived for his closet, whimpering slightly when he saw his clothing choices. His trusty romper had not returned from the laundry yet, so all he had was his tracksuit and a couple pairs of underwear too small for him. After forcing himself into a pair of boxers with a band the size of his little finger, he slipped on his loose track shorts and yelped in horror when he raised his leg.

"I heard him!" called Vanitas. "He's in there!"

Footsteps echoed down the hall. The alarm rang louder than ever. Sora swiveled to his mirror and did a couple high kicks. The last thing he wanted were his balls flapping in the wind as he scaled the school roof. But he did not seem to have much of a choice with the size of his clothes in relation to the new size of himself. When he slipped on his yellow sneakers his toes crunched up at the top. He winced. The rapping on the door continued. Steeling himself, he hoisted one leg onto the window base and pushed the top pane to its full height. He craned his head and chest under just as another fist slammed against his door.

"Open up," boomed a voice like thunder. Sora squealed and scrambled around so that he was hanging half inside the window and half out. With bitten lip he hoisted up his arms and clamped his fingers around two spikes jutting from the shingling above. Then he raised his right leg and curled it around the overhang of the window to the dorm next door. Suddenly, the sound of jingling keys erupted inside his door's lock. Sora gritted his teeth and pulled himself up until his chin rested atop the gutter under his window's shingling. By now he was doing the splits and falling fast under the weight of himself. To his horror, what had sat precariously on the seam between his legs was now pointing down towards the forecourt. With one arm looped around the spike above the shingling, Sora attempted to readjust himself. One ominous crack later and Sora's hands were clamped around the gutter as the golden spike above broke from its hinges and twirled towards the ground several hundred feet beneath him.

"Son of- fuck," panted Sora. The gutter groaned and heaved. A strong northerly wind gusted Sora and the gutter to the side as several of its hinges separated from the wall it was railed to. Sora screamed as the gutter buckled and sank several feet. His right foot was still hooked painfully in the shingling above the neighboring dorm's window. His left foot pressed against the inner left corner of his own. All he could see above him was clear blue sky and the spires of the academy's topmost attic. His back faced the forecourt. If anyone had the misfortune of entering his dorm now, they would be greeted by a spread eagle view of Sora popping out of shorts that were too small for him.

"At least this can't get any more embarrassing than it already is," Sora consoled himself. Then the door to his dorm burst open and a round of loud yelps railed from within.

"Fucking-"

"Ha!"

"By gods- cover those up, boy!"

Sora contemplated letting go of the gutter and unhooking his foot from inside his window so that he could fall over the Cliffside circling the school. But he really wanted to make it through his second year of hero training.

~X~

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 **A/N: Ah ha ha, Sora's ridiculous antics return... On a side note, sorry for making the first chapter confusing! T.T For anyone who missed it, Sora spent the second semester of his freshman year in a memory pod after Argento, his professor, expressly told him not to let himself be put asleep by Organization Thirteen. The _story_ is that the Organization needs the memory pods to test if the kiddos are hero worthy without actually having to send them outside of the Land of Departure. Most remember their pod journeys. But Sora doesn't remember a thing... ooh... I wonder why... **

**On this confusing note, the summer before year two will get a little trippy. I'll try to make it as clear and concise as possible, especially towards the end when shit starts going down. Also...**

 **I was wondering about making a tiny footnote section after each chapter with asterisks explaining sentences linked to events in Year 1. Should I bother, or should I leave readers to discover year 1 for themselves? Thoughts?**

 **And on _that_ note... PLEASE follow, favorite, and REVIEW! Your support makes my writing better. **


	3. Facing Fears

**A/N: I've been keeping up with the views for Year Two and have been** **disappointed... It appears a lot of people are still reading Year One, so I wonder if they read the first chapter of this one and then went back to the original to get some backstory. Hopefully this installment will see the same or greater interest than the first. This has a slow, odd build, but if you keep with it, you'll be glad you did. A lot happens this year. And again, follows, favorites, and REVIEWS are unbelievably appreciated. Reviews and favs inspire me to keep writing.**

* * *

~X~

 ** _Chapter Three_**

~X~

"Am I correct in my sources that you flashed Professor Lexaeus and several of your classmates this morning?" asked Marluxia dully.

Sora sat bright red before him, his whole torso burning with embarrassment. After squeaking affirmation, Marluxia asked him to repeat himself.

"Yes," Sora croaked. "But it was an accident."

"Am I to understand that you separated your legs and hung from the gutter outside your window accidentally?"

"Well, I- what normal person would do that sort of thing?" chanced Sora.

"Am I to believe that you are a normal person, Sora?" inquired Marluxia.

Sora opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, lost for response. Then, sucking in a deep breath, he exclaimed that he had been attempting to escape.

"You attempted to escape out of your third story window," Marluxia repeated flatly.

"My alarm went off and Vanitas was roaring outside my door!" Sora snapped. "I thought he was going to break in!"

"So this is Vanitas' fault?" Marluxia drawled. "Are you so afraid of Vanitas that you dash out of windows whenever he comes near you?"

"Well…" Sora mumbled to himself. Aside from the fact that windows were not always readily available, it was not far from the truth.

"One day into your internship and you've already got a black mark against your name," sighed Marluxia, ticking off a box on Sora's internship form. The situation was horridly reminiscent of his probation officer meetings with Axel.

"If you are having so much trouble getting along with fellow students, perhaps a few 'getting to know you' sessions are in order."

"Getting to know… Vanitas?" Sora squeaked. He had only stopped getting nauseous when he heard the boy laugh.

"Yes. A 'face your fear' event, if you will."

"I don't think facing that sort of fear is… necessary," muttered Sora.

"How wrong you are, Sora," responded Marluxia, circling something else on the form that Sora could not see. "Maybe both of you can work together on missions this summer."

Sora's hands trembled. He stuffed them beneath his thighs and curled his crossed legs towards him.

"Can it be an unpaid internship and we stay clear of one another?" he asked in hope. Marluxia's eyes creased with pleasure as he responded, "no." Sora tried not to swear under his breath. Instead he nodded and asked if there were any missions today.

"I believe staff needs help in the electrics room," Marluxia chirped. "There was a small fire several days ago caused by blown fuses and circuit overloads. I believe they are replacing and updating several components. It should take several hours."

"Oh. Where do I go?" asked Sora.

"Exit stairwell by the elevators. The door says 'electrics.' Take this with you." Marluxia handed Sora a folder with a blank mission report. Sora pursed his lips. To him, fixing wires hardly constituted a "mission." Marluxia added that he would send Axel down to supervise.

"He has experience with blown fuses," he snorted. The knot inside Sora's chest untightened a fraction. At least he would not be alone with Vanitas.

"Vanitas will not be participating in today's mission. I'll send Ventus down instead."

"Ah," Sora muttered, wondering if Marluxia could read minds. At the same time the old knot disintegrated, a new one formed. He nodded and clutched the mission report to his chest.

"Give him this note when you retrieve him," Marluxia explained, scribbling, notarizing, and stamping a sticky note with the seal of a rose. "Perhaps he can loan you some clothes." He added with pursed lips. Sora chanced asking where his romper was.

"Your what?" snapped Marluxia.

"My red romper," beamed Sora. "With the zip up the front."

Marluxia gave him a pointed, narrow eyed glance before repeating his first question. Sora scowled and explained that it was the outfit he had worn before he entered the dream pod. Marluxia's brows creased before unfurling in realization. As his mouth formed an "o," he chuckled.

"Sora," he sighed. "We threw that away."

"You WHAT?" gasped Sora in shock. It could not be true.

"We threw it away," repeated Marluxia. "It shrunk in the wash. It wouldn't have fit a doll."

"It fit me just fine," Sora snapped in indignation. In return Marluxia snorted and shook his head.

"Whatever belongings we deemed suitable for continued wear, we washed and stored in a locker. Sadly, your romper and cropped hoodie shrunk to unsuitable lengths that rendered them incapable of being worn by a human being."

"You kept my shoes!" snapped Sora, wiping tears from his eyes. "You didn't throw them away!" Marluxia glanced on him with pity before stating that incorrect shoe size did not risk indecent exposure. Then he repeated that until he saved enough money to buy himself clothing, he would have to borrow from Ventus or Vanitas, adding that the tracksuit he was wearing currently would be deemed inappropriate by five pm tomorrow evening. When Sora was sure Marluxia had nothing else to say, he opened his mouth to ask about Riku. As the beginnings of the name trickled from his lips, Marluxia gave him such a forbidding smile that Sora stood, took the sticky note, and excused himself. Then he trudged down the hall and up the stairwell to the dorms. When he reached the boys' hall, he peeked through the glass pane in the exit stairwell door to see if Vanitas prowled the halls. When he was sure he did not, Sora gulped and slipped through, hurrying down and rapping on Ventus' door.

"What," called a voice inside.

"It's… me," Sora croaked. Silence. Sora rapped again. "What," the voice repeated, angrier this time.

"We're doing a- a mission together," Sora blubbered. More silence. When Sora rapped the door harder, it flung open. He stood face to face with Ventus, his fist raised above the boy's left ear as if to knock the air. When Ventus glared, Sora flew his hand down and folded it in front of him with an awkward smile.

"What do you want?" Ventus hissed. Sora gulped and fished the sticky note from under his arm. It was slightly sweaty.

"That's disgusting," Ventus announced. A whole semester unconscious had not softened his sting. Sora pursed his lips but said nothing. After reading the note Ventus scowled and disappeared inside his room, tearing underneath his bed for clothes. When he asked Sora what he needed, Sora responded, "everything," and followed him inside. Ventus snorted as he came across one article, chucking it at Sora so that the mission report dropped from his armpit and fell against the floor. When Sora unfurled the cloth, he realized it was a pair of athletic boxer briefs. Nice ones, too. He pursed his lips before folding them and setting them to the side. Just as he bent to retrieve the mission report, Ventus threw him a pair of joggers and a t-shirt.

"All Vanitas' clothes," Ventus snapped, adding, "Just what you'd like." He gave a bitter chortle as he ravaged his drawers for things for himself, muttering that he needed to get rid of Vanitas' stuff anyway. Sora's brows furrowed in confusion. He opened his mouth to ask what Ventus meant by "Just what you'd like," but his tongue went dry on the first word and stuck to the roof of his mouth. He gulped. Then he asked if Ventus swapped clothes with Vanitas a lot. Ventus gaped.

"Is that supposed to be a fucking joke?" he said. The forced smile slopped off Sora's face. Ventus waited for Sora to respond, but he never did. His tongue tied up. In defeat he picked up the clothes Ventus had lent to him without a sound. As he touched them, he felt his stomach flip with nausea.

 _"Just what you'd like."_

Sora winced. When Ventus was turned he pressed the dark clothing to his nose and sniffed. The scent of Vanitas' skin pierced his nostrils and made him gulp. Visions of a hissing, cackling radio and people prodding him in the dark made him shiver. Old nightmares.

"Um… can I by any chance borrow someone else's clothes?" he asked. Ventus gave him one of the coldest looks he had ever seen. "Like… Terra's, or something?" Sora tried. Ventus' eyes widened, but narrowed in an instant. He snickered.

"So you think I have Terra's clothes under my bed sheets, too?" he sneered. Sora's mouth fell open.

"I…" he faltered. "N- no?"

Ventus cast him a dull glance. Then he sighed and collected an outfit for himself. When he grabbed his toiletries and muttered that he was going for a shower, Sora followed him.

"And if you care at all for my health, you'll have one, too," he added. "Because you stink."

Sora gave a grim nod. He chanced a sniff at himself when Ventus' back was turned and reeled. He was pretty ripe, but not bad for someone who had not showered in half a year. When Ventus locked his dorm behind him Sora dashed for his own, digging out his toiletries and towel before joining Ventus at the entrance to the bathroom. Someone was singing inside. Sora's insides clenched. He followed Ventus at a crawl. The showers were on. A cackle echoed across the porcelain tiles. Ventus slammed his toiletries on the bench near the lockers and began stripping down. Sora contemplated turning and running until he noticed his own. Marluxia's admission that any suitable belongings were washed and stored in a locker returned to his head. With hope he entered in his old combination. For some reason, the door stuck. Sora furrowed his brows and wrenched it open. When he saw what was inside he gasped.

Someone had squeezed glue inside the locker's circular grills. The sticky tendrils had dripped over the entirety of the inside and all over a large zip lock bag containing a belt, chain, and lucky charm. Sora tore the bag from the glue and yelped as it ripped in half and his contents slid towards the floor beneath his feet. Before the lucky charm could slam against tile, Sora caught it with his thighs. Then, cradling it, he sat on the bench and scooped it to his chest.

Kairi must have given it to him before their trip to Olympus Coliseum the previous year. He had completely forgotten about it, yet it must have been in his pocket before he was put in the dream pod. The string of five thalassa shells connected by a gold bead crown stared up at him with a playful glare, Kairi's fringe drawn in color pencils above its marker grin.

Suddenly, a memory came back to him. He and Kairi in an underground cave with green stones, the sound of dripping water, and a painting of a moon and stars that glowed and spit out gems. Sora blinked the vision away with a frown. It made him shiver. Sora ran his fingers over the shell's rigid surface as a shadow fell over his back. A shoulder slammed into the locker at his side.

"Still here?" drawled a voice that made Sora cringe. As he looked up, he curled his stomach over Kairi's charm. Vanitas stared down at him, dripping wet and naked, his right side leaned against the locker above Sora's head. "Dropped your belt," he announced. Sora looked from the gluey mess in his locker to his exposed toiletries and belongings with bitten lip. When he reached slowly for the old blue leather, Vanitas swiped it up first. The boy examined it with a cool golden glance, snorting at intervals.

"Wonder if this would fit me," he muttered. Sora's lip curled as the boy circled it around his bare hips, its buckle pressing against the beginnings of a line of soft jet hair. The belt would not cinch. Vanitas cackled.

"Bet it fits you," he snickered. He walked behind Sora and circled the belt around him. As his chest brushed against Sora's shoulder, Sora jumped up. Vanitas wrenched him back so that he almost toppled over. Sora struggled until Vanitas pinched Sora's shoulder under his chin and tightened his grip around Sora's waist. The belt cinched on the very last loop.

"Ha!" Vanitas laughed in Sora's ear. Sora waited for Vanitas to let go, but for some reason he would not.

"Congrats on summoning a key blade," the golden eyed boy whispered. This was not the acidly sweet Vanitas that had invited Sora to the party at Avenida last year. Nor was it the rabid Vanitas who had terrorized him during his first week of school. "Who did the inheritance ceremony on you?" Vanitas whispered. "You can tell me."

"Go away," Sora mumbled. Vanitas glanced down Sora's chest towards the thalassa shells peeking out from between his stomach and thighs. "The fuck is that?" he snickered, reaching for them, but Sora clamped his thighs so hard against his stomach his knees went white. Vanitas clicked his tongue in irritation as he tried shimmying his fingers in between. After a few moments struggle, Vanitas swore and fixed Sora with a dangerous glare. "If you don't let me see what's on your stomach, I'll grab you by the balls," he hissed. Sora pinched his ankles between his legs and snarled, "no." Vanitas gritted his teeth and weaseled his hand through the crook of Sora's calves. Sora yelped and tried swiveling to the side, but Vanitas got him. "Let go," he hissed. When Sora squeaked, "no," Vanitas pulled until Sora's knees collapsed of their own accord. As Sora curled over the side of the bench clutching between his legs, Vanitas picked up his lucky charm and turned it over in his hands.

"Who made this?" he snorted.

"No one," Sora gasped.

"Then you don't mind if I break it?" asked Vanitas with raised brows. Before Sora could respond, Terra wandered over asking what was going on. When he saw the thalassa shells in Vanitas' hand, he gasped and peered over his shoulder.

"Is that a way finder?" he asked.

"It's mine!" Sora squeaked. "A friend made it for me and I'd like it back!"

Vanitas scoffed and let it fall. Terra caught it easily and held it up to the light. "Aqua made charms like this for us," he grinned. "Welded the frames and inlaid the glass petals herself. Shape is based off some star shaped 'together' fruit, or something."

"Paopu," Sora wheezed. The pain came on and off in waves, but it was becoming bearable.

"Huh," Terra murmured. He gave the charm back to Sora with a frown.

"Sora, are you in pain?" he asked. Sora sat up and shook his head, muttering that he had a stitch in his side. Terra narrowed his glance but returned to the showers. Vanitas turned back to Sora and leaned at his side.

"I thought for sure you would have given up or been expelled by now. You're clingier than I thought," he snickered.

"Weren't Sota and Nao enough?" snapped Sora. Vanitas' eyes crinkled with a devilish grin.

"Aren't you going to ask if I've forgiven you for humiliating me in the woods the second week of school?" he hissed.

Sora pierced Vanitas with an incredulous, gaping glare. Vanitas burst into laughter. But his smile stopped when he noticed the pile of clothes sitting under Sora's towel. When he furrowed his brows and bent closer, Sora scooted the towel behind his back. His face drained white.

"Are those," Vanitas started. With a cool glance he snatched the towel and clothing from around Sora's back and examined them with furrowed brows. His eyes twinkled. His mouth broke into a gaping smile.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who picks up other people's belongings without asking," he sneered, holding up his boxer briefs with his left hand while he brandished the shirt and joggers with his right. Sora turned violet.

"I," started Sora. His legs shook so much they knocked against each other.

"If you wanted to touch my underwear, Sora," Vanitas whispered in a smug coo, "you should have asked."

Sora stuttered at the ridiculousness of the suggestion. Vanitas stepped back and cocked his head to the side, squaring his shoulders and grinning as if in invitation. When Sora found his eyes trailing down Vanitas' dripping abdomen he snapped his gaze back towards his charm and ran his fingers over its rigid surface. Vanitas clapped his hands in entertainment.

"Hey, Ventus," he called. "Did you see Sora got hold of some of my underpants?"

"Yeah, I gave them to him," Ventus snapped. As the blond tore open his toiletry bag, Vanitas' brows furrowed in disappointment. "You what?" he asked.

"Read the official note from Marluxia if you're so curious," Ventus snapped. "Obviously you're more interested in a stuttering slug than you are in intelligent human beings, so keep trying to wheedle information out of Sora."

Vanitas' mouth dropped. Terra was now drying his hair and brushing his teeth before the mirror farthest from the bathroom door. Every couple seconds, he took a cautious peek over his reflection's shoulder to see what was happening. Ventus tore through his toiletry bag for shampoo. When he got the bottle in his hand he stomped to the farthest right communal showerhead and jammed it on. Sora breathed a sigh of relief when Vanitas left his side. The bronze boy stalked over wet tile towards Ventus with his arms held out.

"What did Marluxia say," he whispered. When he thought Sora was not looking, he trailed his hand against Ventus' hip. For a moment Ventus stopped moving. Then he swept his shampoo up, squeezed some into his hand, and rubbed it through his hair. Vanitas moved right up to Ventus' side and clamped his hands around Ventus' head. Ventus whined. Terra scowled from the mirror and told them to quit horsing around. When Terra turned away to spit out his toothpaste, Vanitas leaned and touched his mouth to Ventus' neck. Sora whipped his glance away and fiddled through his toiletry pouch with shaking hands.

"What did Marluxia say?" worded Vanitas.

"I had to lend Sora clothes," Ventus whispered. "I have to work with him this summer."

"Oh?"

"So will you."

Sora's ears pricked up. He started picking glue from his locker.

"Me? With that little fag?"

"Says Marluxia."

"Huh."

"I thought you'd enjoy that news," Ventus snarled. Vanitas snickered.

"I've never seen you so angry."

"Well, this is the new me."

"I like it."

This last comment was so quiet it was little more than a whisper on the wind. It was said in passing, as Vanitas leaned down Ventus' bare thigh and calf to pick up his shampoo. When Vanitas got the bottle in his hand, he straightened up so close to Ventus' body it looked like his lips were moving along the boy's skin. He squared his shoulders and sauntered to the opposite end of the shower area as though nothing had happened.

"Hey, termite, stop gawking at Terra," Vanitas called. Sora snapped up and looked at Terra just as Terra glanced past his reflection in the mirror. When Sora opened his mouth in objection Terra glowered at him and tightened his towel around his waist. Vanitas cackled.

Sora scowled and tightened his grip around his toiletries, cinching his knees as close as possible. He glanced down at the clothes Vanitas had strewn across the wet tile. In a spirit of defiance, he kicked them aside, forced his locker shut, gathered his lucky charm, folder, belt, and chain, and sauntered straight from the dorm bathroom with a spring in his step. He thought he heard Terra call out to him along the way, but he did not listen. He kept walking until he pushed through the exit stairwell at the hall's end and trundled down. As he reached the elevators he sniffed under his arms one more time. The stench made him grimace. He pursed his lips, cinched his arms to his sides, and looked for the electrical room. There it was: a large "ELECTRICS: KEEP OUT" sign labeled on its back. When Sora leaned forward and pushed the handle down, he slammed into the door. It seemed to be locked. Sora rubbed his forehead and knocked. There was the jingling of keys. The door opened to reveal an old man who looked like a cross between a garden gnome and a Bavarian sheep farmer. He was sweating profusely beneath his many layers of clothing, and he stank almost as much as Sora did.

"Who the hell are you?" he snapped. Sora gave a nervous grin and held out his hand and his mission report to introduce himself. "I'm helping you fix wires," was all that came out. The old man swiped up Sora's folder and thumbed through it. Then he snorted and asked if the other kid was coming as well. Sora nodded.

"I just thought I'd get here early," he beamed.

"You stink," snapped the old man. "You just roll out of bed?"

"No," Sora said with furrowed brows. "I've been up for hours."

"Well, since you're here I'd like to get started, but we have to wait…"

As soon as he said it, clattering footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs. Soon, Ventus was whizzing towards them with his hair dripping wet. His cheeks were flushed and he panted as he hurled down. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he shook himself like a dog and dashed over, turning his collar up as he eyed Sora.

"You look like you just got down from winning the lottery," the old man announced. Ventus tried stifling his spreading grin for a more serious expression.

"Oh?" he croaked, clearing his throat. "Just excited to work," he muttered. His sweet, innocent smile made Sora's lip curl in suspicion.

The old man led everyone to the electrical room, unlocking the door and hacking as he lumbered in. At the size of a broom closet, the electrical room entrance was a tight squeeze, but the air ventilation seemed good. Sora only realized that the room was much larger than it appeared when the old man pointed to the left of him. They were really in a thin, straight hall with rows of metals boxes, pipes, and switches. As they walked, he pointed to things.

"Switchboards," he called, pointing to a long row of metal boxes with buttons. "Distribution boards, circuit breakers, meter, transformers, bus bars, batteries, fire alarm control panel, otherwise known as the FACP, distribution frames, and indoor electrical substation right down that hall."

Sora and Ventus peered down the man's left hand towards a small, branching cylindrical hall with thick black wires clamped all around its sides. The wires emptied into a dark cavern with flickering neon bulbs and metal grilled walkways. Sora gulped. The old man hitched up his belt and called the boys into the intersection between the substation and the rest of the corridor and rolled to sitting.

"It's dark in here, eh, boys?" he whispered in a menacing way. Ventus and Sora looked at each other.

"See that's the problem…" the man hissed, licking his cracked lips and readjusting the sunglasses he wore above the pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. "Lights have been going out all over the school- just flickering, and then, poof! Gone!" He clapped his hands together and let them sink, wiggling his fingers as though they were tiny, shimmering particles of glass and tungsten filament. When the demonstration finished he snorted and coughed.

"Light bulbs have been disappearing?" Ventus said flatly. The old man clapped his hand to his forehead and sighed.

"No, boy, they've been breaking!"

"Ah," Ventus responded. "When you say it that way it makes a lot more sense."

"But that's not all!" the old man cried, making Ventus jump out of his skin. "Magic has been seeping through the cracks as well… glittering through the vents… flickering flames... making everything glow…"

"What do you think is down here?" gasped Sora. A vision of a massive, metal armored monster loomed before his eyes: purple and grey steeled boots with shining, jet black spikes. A heart with a thorny x slashed across its chest. Two piercing yellow eyes and claw like hands that shot bolts of electricity at its unwitting victims. Sora whipped his head towards the dark substation ahead, itching to summon his key blade.

"I hear you boys summon key blades," the old man growled. Sora gave a feverish nod, whipping his hand out to summon his on the spot. The old man hissed, "no!" and Ventus slapped Sora's palm down.

"The blades will scare it off… whatever the culprit is…" he snorted up phlegm and hitched his pants. Then he clapped his hands and asked what part of the room everyone wanted to search. Sora called the substation in the blink of an eye. The old man suggested Ventus go with him. Sora's shoulders faltered.

"But first!" the old man said. "A lesson in troubleshooting!"

As the old man explained how to troubleshoot, he handed out voltage testers, flashlights, and packets of wire nuts.

"I have tested all affected bulbs, outlets, and circuits running through the school, but my sources keep taking me back here," he murmured. "To the place where it all began…" Then, fishing his own flashlight from his pocket, he clicked it on and twirled it towards a big plastic switch.

"What's this?"

While Sora sifted his mind for the answer with an open mouth, Ventus answered, "circuit breaker."

"Well, at least one of us is sharp!" piped the old man. Sora's shoulders sagged. He did not look to see Ventus' expression. He expected it was smug. The old man tapped the circuit breaker with his flashlight.

"ADS: Automatic Disconnection of Supply. There are hundreds of circuit breakers down here, and if any circuits need repair, I need to know which one to pull. That's where you come in. I need you to look for problems. You find pulled plugs, gnawed wiring, blown fuses, or burns, you come to me. I suspected at first the problem was in the northern hemisphere of the substation… but the source has been… moving…" the man trailed off and held up his hand, listening with bitten lip. When Sora's anxiety gave way to the resurface of his beached whale breath, Ventus hissed for him to shut up. Sora clamped his hands over his mouth and held his breath. Then he listened. All he could hear was the buzz of electricity, filtering of air, and a slight crinkling sound. When the crinkling sound stopped, Sora's brows raised in curiosity.

"We're not alone," hissed the old man under his breath. There was silence.

Suddenly, the lights above them clicked off. A strange squeal pierced the air, followed closely by the flutter of leather wings. The wings fluttered closer and closer, and stopped. The careful patter of tiny feet on metal clinked behind Sora's right ear.

"Ah… watching us… clever girl," the old man snarled. More silence. Then,

"FLASHLIGHTS, BOYS!"

Ventus and Sora flipped their flashlights on and squealed when a flurry of bat wings and fuzzy spheres assailed their vision. The creatures fluttered past them on all sides. Sora swept at them with his right hand as his flashlight flailed in his left. Ventus yelped as his flashlight crashed to the ground, shattering glass whizzing across the floor. The old man yelled. Sora howled as tiny claws or teeth dug into the skin of his arm. When he batted them away the wings fluttered to Ventus, who squealed and broke into a run.

"DON'T RUN, BOY, YOU'LL PROVOKE IT!"

"Provoke what?" Ventus screeched. The squeal of whatever creatures assailed them pierced and echoed off the metal boxes surrounding until it sounded as though there were hundreds of them. There was a slam and a grunt. Metal buckled. Another flashlight dropped. Sora bit his lip in embarrassment when he realized it was his own. Glass crunched. The old man panted as he trundled about. More wings. Someone tripped on a bucket. Another asked for a Band-Aid. The old man steadied his flashlight and called for someone to open the door. Sora felt along the wall. The bat wings flapped in front of his eyes. He shut them tight and curled his head towards his chest, hurrying forward with his hand held out against concrete covered wall. Finally, his fingers brushed over a switch. It was turned down. Sora cried out. He clicked the switch up.

Suddenly the room was bright again. Everyone opened their eyes and dashed around the hall, the clank of the bucket Ventus had gotten his foot stuck in echoing as they went. But the creatures were gone. The old man panted and licked his lips. Then he told everyone to split up.

"They've got to be around here, somewhere…" He muttered.

For the next two hours Ventus, Sora, and the old electrician wandered around the electrical room searching for something they did not know the look of. Ventus hunted for bat wings. Sora watched for bouncy balls. The old man searched for glints of little claws and fangs. But all they found was a pile of dead rats and several odd jewels scattered around the floor.

"Synthesis materials," Ventus whispered. He swiped a few up and held his flashlight between his chin and shoulder so he could examine them side-by-side. Once he was finished, he snorted.

"Only thunder shards," he scoffed. "Figures." He chucked them with the dead rats into the open trash bag by the door before Sora could say otherwise. Soon the old electrician stood back at their sides sporting a look of defeat.

"Well…" he muttered, pursing his lips, "I think we'll give creature hunting a rest for now and just look for problem wires. Here's red electrical tape for both of you," he added, handing Ventus and Sora a roll each. "If you see anything funny, mark the floor below it with a red X so that I can get to it later. Off you go. We've got three hours." Then he lumbered away.

Sora and Ventus went for the substation together but parted ways when they ducked into its chamber. Ventus veered left immediately. Sora trudged right. He shone his flashlight along the walls and wires to see if any were torn or burnt. Whenever he came across something suspicious he marked it with the red tape. But as he passed the third set of recloser circuit breakers, something twinkled up at him from the wall behind. When Sora peered closer, he furrowed his brows.

It looked like a green, pulsing boil. Lime colored pus oozed from beneath its folds and ate into the metal boxes beneath it with a sizzle. Sora climbed up the wall ladder nearby and chanced a poke at it. It gave him such a strong electrical shock he nearly fell over. When he recovered he bit his lip and glanced from side to side. When he was sure no one was looking, he summoned his key blade. When he used it to poke the boil again, it gave a loud hiss and sputtered puss at his face. Sora ducked before it could hit him. But he heard footsteps closing in.

"What are you doing?" snapped Ventus. Sora made his key blade disappear too late. When Ventus saw it, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are you insane?" he snapped. "Did that old head case not just tell us never to summon our key blades in here?"

"Well, like you said," Sora tried, "He's a head case."

Ventus opened his mouth to say something else. But when his eyes fell upon the puss-covered boil on the wall, his nose wrinkled. He asked what it was. Sora shrugged and responded that it corroded metal. Ventus narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips.

"You tried a spell on it yet?" he whispered. Sora muttered that he did not know any. Ventus snorted and shot him a smug, pitying grin.

"Leave it to me," he said. Then, peeping over his shoulder, he summoned his key blade, pointed it at the blob, and whispered, "blizzard." A ball of snowflakes whizzed forward and coated the blob until it froze. When Ventus reached up and tapped the blob, it shattered to pieces and something fell from inside. When the mystery object clattered against the floor beneath the autoreclosers, Sora ducked and tried picking it up. Afraid to stick his hand through faulty wires, he bit his lip and pushed his key blade beneath the circuit breakers. When the key blade tip contacted the mystery object, he shoved it right. As Sora thrust, the object whizzed from beneath the breakers and Ventus caught it with his foot. When he picked it up and examined it, he harrumphed.

"What?" asked Sora. Ventus clicked on his flashlight and held the object up to the light.

It was a black bracelet with a symbol of thunder and lightning on its large, center bead. Sora peaked over Ventus' shoulder to see it.

"What is it?" whined Sora.

"Thundaga… no… Thundagun Trinket," Ventus murmured. "Looks fresh." He ran his fingers over it one more time, brushing off stray flakes of snow and frozen puss. Then he took out his electrical tape and marked the floor beneath the original blob with an X. Sora squeaked in discontent when Ventus pocketed the item. The blond snorted.

"I have to give this to Marluxia," he murmured. "Synthesis items shouldn't be down here."

"Synthesis?" asked Sora with furrowed brows. Ventus snorted.

"Besides, you should probably let a person who actually knows what it is handle it."

After giving Sora a sweet smile, Ventus frowned and returned to his side of the substation, letting his key blade disappear as he went. Sora watched him descend to darkness. Something fidgeted behind him. When Sora turned, he stifled a gasp.

Two pudgy beige legs the size of donut holes shuffled beneath one of the metal boxes at his side. When Sora knelt down to see what they belonged to, they disappeared with the sound of fluttering leather wings. A streak of red flitted between two boxes nearby. Sora lunged towards it too late. The creature was gone.

~X~

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 **A/N: So we have a nice setup for things to come... and there will be a lot... until next time, keep reading.**


	4. Playing with Fire

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, ForsakenXIII, Jackieredfield, and R12! You guys are the real MVPs. Everyone else reading, please review and follow as well! It makes the story better!**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Four_**

~X~

Sora worked in the substation with the academy's senior electrician, whose name turned out to be Cid Haze, for the greater part of the week. Every few hours he would catch a glimmer of the strange, donut legged creature he had spotted his first time inside. He even coaxed it with different types of food. The closest he got with it was a cranberry. He would hold the berry out and squeeze it so that its juice puttered to the floor. Then a single pudgy paw would swipe it from its hand. The rest of the body was a blur. The sound of nibbling would eclipse the substation. Then the creature would spit up and disappear completely. In between glimpses, Sora glued himself to the library. He had gone through nearly every creature encyclopedia he could find. The strange thing was that Sora felt like he already knew what he was looking for; he just could not remember its name. He still had not had a shower. Every time he snuck into the dorm bathroom, Vanitas was there. Worse, still, was that his internship paid biweekly. He could not buy shampoo, soap, or clothing till next Thursday. He was still wearing his old yellow sneakers and illegal tracksuit. Whenever he spotted an Organization Thirteen employee in the halls he would hide behind things. On Friday morning, though, he was a second too late. On his way back from breakfast in the great hall, a voice rang out behind him. When he turned he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Lexaeus, the geology teacher, towered at the end of the hall with a glower, his arms folded in front of his massive square chest. When his eyes directed down Sora's front, Sora gulped.

"Marluxia told you that tracksuit was out of dress code days ago," Lexaeus intoned.

"Uh…" Sora blubbered. "I have nothing else."

"Can't you borrow something from Mantis?"

"You mean Ventus?"

"The boy, Roxas' brother. Or his nasty friend."

Sora acted like he did not know whom Lexaeus was talking about. After several minutes of livid gesticulations and inadequate explanations, Lexaeus gave up trying to figure out Vanitas' name and trundled right up to Sora's feet. When he was inches away, he bent so that the steam from his nostrils watered Sora's eyes. Sora winced. Lexaeus narrowed his glance.

"I don't care how you retrieve appropriate clothing," he hissed. "But you shall retrieve it. Or you shall suffer."

Lexaeus cracked his massive fists centimeters from Sora's nose. When he asked if Sora understood, Sora gave a great nod. Then he turned and dashed from Lexaeus' sight.

"And for gods' sakes, boy, wash yourself!" the giant boomed in addition. Sora scowled and hurried faster. It seemed as though Organization Thirteen would force him to shower in the presence of Vanitas before the week was out. Sure enough, when he trudged back to his dorm, the boy himself stood draped across Sora's door like a sphinx. His arms were crossed before him. Tucked under his left was a small bundle of clothing. When he saw Sora coming he told him to catch. Sora tripped over the flying pants and toppled to the floor amidst howls of laughter. Unlike the pair Ventus had fished out from under his bed, these were freshly washed. Sora glanced up at Vanitas with a curled lip. Vanitas wiped tears from his eyes.

"Get dressed, termite," he drawled. "We're playing with fire today." Then he turned and sauntered down the hall.

"I'm working in the electrical room with Cid," Sora called. Vanitas whipped out what looked like a note from Reno's office. Sora saw the faint seal of a rose glimmering on its back along with a signature. His shoulders sagged. When he trundled over and attempted snatching the note, Vanitas whacked him on the nose and hid it from sight. Then he told him to follow him to the forecourt.

"Make sure you've got your key blade," he added with a snicker.

Sora gritted his teeth. Of course he had his key blade. He summoned it from his heart, and unless he'd left that in his locker or under his bed he was sure to be fine. For a long minute Sora imagined what it was like to live without one.

 _"Well, here's an example right in front of me,"_ he echoed to himself. As he snorted, Vanitas glanced back at him with narrowed eyes and asked what was so funny.

"Nothing," Sora lied. Vanitas stared at him before grinning.

"Nice job on your final," he said. "Wish I could have seen the look on Riku's face when he landed on his ass."

Against his will, Sora chuckled. He clutched his chest as if it had betrayed him.

"Slimy hypocrite," Vanitas continued. "No manners."

Sora stifled a snort. The irony was poison. What sounded like regret tinged Vanitas' voice.

"I wish I could have broken that loser in before they put him in the memory pod," he said.

Sora nodded like he understood what Vanitas was talking about. When Vanitas asked what his experience was like in the pod, Sora's chest seized up. He scrunched his eyes tight in an effort to remember.

The vision of the heart with the thorny x through its center came to him again, along with the destruction of his islands. For a moment the images felt so real he thought he would cry. Then he was sinking into darkness and waking up in a world at dusk: a world of hotels, shops with locked doors and lit windows, underground waterways, and searing electricity. Staring into a sky with stars that blinked out like flickering candles. When Sora opened his glistening eyes, Vanitas was staring straight at him. It made him shrink. Vanitas' lips curled with a narrow grin.

"Was it a really good wet dream?" He snickered. Sora gave a weak laugh. He hoped it looked like he knew what a wet dream was.

"Do you not remember it or something?" Vanitas demanded. Sora's smile faded. Vanitas' eyes twinkled in realization before narrowing.

"How shitty it must feel," he mused, "not remembering anything important. Not knowing what anyone is ever talking about. Must walk you into a lot of trouble, huh?"

"What do you know?" Sora snapped. Vanitas gaped and cackled.

"Touchy, touchy," he snickered.

"That's ironic," Sora shot back, "coming from someone who can't keep their hands off the boys in the class below them!"

Sora got such a hard slap in the face that he nearly toppled over. When he swayed back to his feet, Vanitas grabbed him by the shirtfront and pulled him so close their noses touched. The boy looked livid. Sora stared at him in defiance, willing his lip to stop trembling. After a few moments Vanitas shoved him away with a sneer. Then he stalked ahead. Before Vanitas could tell him to, Sora ducked into the bathroom and changed clothes, making sure to rub the thick layer of grease from his unwashed hair and face all over the clean shirtfront. He rubbed the stench and sweat from his armpits against the shirt's sleeves. Then, stretching out the pants to full capacity, he sucked in a deep breath, smiled at his reflection in the mirror, and sauntered out with his arms tucked behind his hair. When Vanitas smelled him, he reeled.

"Are you trying to corrode my clothes?" He hissed. "You reek."

"Better not get too close," Sora sighed in satisfaction.

Vanitas blinked at him in surprise. Sora could not help but saunter through the forecourt with a skip in his step. He even chanced a whistle when a cool breeze wafted against his cheeks. Ahead, Axel leaned in the shadow of the forecourt archway, reapplying what looked like sunscreen. He wore a torn up black vest, jeans, and combat boots. His hands were gloved. A wide brimmed sunhat graced his spikey head. Dangling around his neck was a respirator with two cartridges. Despite being a master of the fire element, he moved as though he had not seen sunlight for years, even though the hottest months in the Land of Departure were from December to June. When he saw Vanitas and Sora trudging towards him, he indicated them forward until they stood at his side.

"Alright, kiddos," he muttered. Then he handed out water bottles. "You have your key blades?"

Vanitas grinned and made to summon his own. Axel stopped him. After wiping the sweat from his brow, he indicated for them to follow him. As they descended the mountain path, he called over his shoulder.

"We're going to do some controlled burns," he explained. "Temperature, wind, and rain are down. Wood around the school is dry as a bone. Goal is to get all the dead stuff out of the way before school kicks up again."

"You've been promoted from probation officer to woodland management?" drawled Vanitas. Sora did not laugh. Axel managed a forced chuckle.

"Ah ha," he said. "Funny, but no. Marluxia is just taking advantage of my innate abilities. Do you both know how to cast Fire?"

Vanitas scoffed. Sora blinked in confusion. Cast fire?

"With some matches I could probably rustle something up," he announced. Axel and Vanitas looked at him like he had two heads.

"He means with your key blade, termite," Vanitas hissed. Sora's face burned crimson. Axel snorted laughter. Vanitas howled. Sora mumbled that he had read a bit about key blade fire spells while studying for his finals. He promised himself to kick Roxas for not teaching him magic before the end of the semester.

"I'll help you out, Sora," Axel grinned. They crossed the stone bridge and veered onto grass. When they passed the field used for finals, Sora gasped. It was scorched black. Not a blade of grass in sight. Their shoes crunched as they passed. Soon they were walking Vanitas' old haunt, the path along the way to the burger joint. When they passed the tree Vanitas had blown up after Sota pinned him in the nose during their first semester, Vanitas grinned maliciously towards Sora in remembrance. Axel pointed towards a newly indented road parallel to the river leading past the burger joint's side. Then he pointed to another road perpendicular to the one they were on. Four red poles jamming about one hundred yards from one another around the perpendicular forest edge marked the prescribed burn sections. Axel assigned Sora the forest between the first two poles, Vanitas the forest between the second and third, and himself between the third and the fourth.

"We have five hours," he announced, tapping his wristwatch. "Before we get started: fire safety and a magic lesson for Sora."

Vanitas cackled. Sora's face glowed brighter as he tucked his head down.

"Backburning is burning along a firebreak, aka this road. We burn to stimulate new plant growth and eliminate ground clutter along the forest closest to the school. The town council is responsible for what goes on lower in the valley. We're burning from the firebreak all the way to the valley we used for your finals. You're in charge of managing your own burn section. Once you start the fire, you have to wait and let it build before you can cast fire again. In the meantime, we blast away all the embers so they don't touch fresh forest. I can draw fires back naturally, but you guys can use aero or blizzard."

"Sora will probably blow the fire the wrong way," Vanitas announced. Axel snorted and said he could use magnet instead. Sora blinked up at both of them in anxiety. With a grin he choked that he would probably be better suited to working in the electrical room with Cid. When he attempted escaping, Axel grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him along.

"You're not getting out that easily, Sora," he sighed. Then he called for Vanitas to give Sora some magic lessons. Vanitas' eyes twinkled. He cracked his knuckles. Sora resisted the urge to collapse.

"Alright, termite, let's practice."

Without asking Sora's opinion he stalked to the valley used for finals. As their feet crunched against singed ground again, smoke towered through the air where Axel had started his burn section. Vanitas whistled as the flames climbed higher and higher. Whenever they peeked above the trees, something like a vacuum tore them back. Vanitas cackled each time.

"Can't deny his talent," he announced. Then he turned to Sora and summoned his key blade at the same time, shouting "firaga!" before Sora could block. The fireball blasted Sora off his feet just as he summoned his own weapon. Sora gasped in pain, but before the flames could burn his skin, familiar bells rained overhead. Vanitas had cast cure. As Sora looked above him, the memory of a deep jungle foreign to the one he lay sprawled within flashed across his mind. It made his brows furrow. For some reason, he imagined he had cast cure in that place. It could not have been real. Maybe it had been a dream.

"Did I get you too hard?" Vanitas cooed. He cackled as Sora forced himself to standing.

"No," the younger boy snapped, gripping his key blade tight.

"Magic lesson," Vanitas announced.

Vanitas "trained" Sora until he could summon cure, fire, blizzard, aero, and magnet spells at will. Hour after painful hour he shot bolts remorselessly at Sora until Sora was forced to cast a spell back. As a reward, he would get a break of undisclosed length. Vanitas would surprise him with a sneak attack whenever he relaxed. Sora cursed his gullibility, but he fell for the trick every single time. In between, Vanitas made fun of Sora's proclivity for dodging.

"You're not even defensive," he sang. "You just run away. If you had a partner, you'd let them do all the work. Lazy!" he added, shooting three massive fireballs at Sora in one go. Sora yelped and tripped over his feet as Vanitas called, "too slow!" Sora expected a cure spell, but it never came. He howled as the skin on his arms began to glisten with dark boils.

"C-cure," he choked. A fart of green twinkles emitted from the end of his key blade. Instead of casting a flower or bell, a sad looking leaf burst from his weapon tip, shimmering until it settled and melted onto Sora's nose. After several failed cure attempts, Sora pressed his melting face into the ash surrounding and bit his lip to keep from sobbing. A shadow passed. Vanitas was standing over him.

"What's the matter, Sora?" he cooed. "Can't save yourself? Bummer."

Sora pressed his face into the ground and tried to stay conscious. The fireball had had some kind of darkness in it. It made Sora's heart beat so fast it felt like it would burst.

"I'm not a total shithead. Say please and sorry and I might save you a few scars."

"Shut up!" Sora choked. He blinked back tears. Vanitas bent down and dug his fingers into Sora's raw skin. When Sora broke down and cried Vanitas stepped away. Huge ribbons and bells descended over Sora's head. Vanitas told him to sit up. In defeat Sora rolled over and hoisted himself onto his elbows. Vanitas unhooked a potion from his pocket and shoved it into Sora's hands. Sora swallowed it in one gulp. When he was finished, he rolled back again.

"No more," he panted, turning onto his belly and splaying his arms and legs out like a starfish. When he choked on ash he rolled again, knocking into Vanitas' legs along the way. Vanitas gripped Sora's hand and wrenched him to standing. Sora tumbled forward in exhaustion. Vanitas caught him around the waist. Sora sunk into his grip and set his cheek against Vanitas' shoulder. As he panted, Vanitas set his mouth against Sora's ear.

"As much as I love watching you run and cry," he whispered. "It gets old after five hours."

"Then give me a rest," warbled Sora. He struggled to stay awake. When Vanitas let go of him, he crashed to the ground and groaned in pain. Vanitas cast another cure over him. It did not help.

"Need me to sing you a lullaby, termite?" Vanitas cooed. Sora stifled his anger. Something was crunching towards them. When he forced his glance towards the forest ahead, he saw a black-coated figure trudging through the dry grass. When it wiped its cheeks and took off its goggles and gas mask, two angry, feline green eyes blinked out over a set jaw.

"Where the fuck were you two?" its owner snapped, looking almost as exhausted as Sora did. "I just burned two whole sections by my fucking self. This has to be done by tomorrow and I'm already over my forty hour work week."

"Marluxia doesn't like paying time and a half?" asked Vanitas. Axel snorted as he rubbed the soot from his ears.

"Hates it," he hissed. "Which means I will come down here with a lawn chair, a camel Pac of champagne, a thrilling read, and my respirator and goggles at half past nine tomorrow morning, and watch both of you burn the last section. Now let's get the fuck out of here. And don't walk too close to me. I'm known to steam when I'm angry." He shot a threatening glance at Vanitas and Sora. Sora nodded like his life depended on it. Vanitas shrugged. The three of them traipsed from the valley to the stone bridge and back up the mountain path. Strange little rubies peeked up through the ashen grass as they crunched by. None but Sora seemed to notice them, so with a grin he stuffed as many as he could into his pockets. As they walked, everyone coughed, either from smoke inhalation or the smell of Sora's body odor. Axel shook his head as he rubbed his watering eyes and muttered that Sora had a problem. When Sora walked close to Vanitas with his arms clasped behind his head the boy shoved him so hard he catapulted into Axel's arms. As Axel caught him by the shoulders Sora let out a howl and jumped away.

"I warned you," Axel snapped. "Steam burns!" Two handprints had branded themselves into Sora's shoulder blades like wings. When Sora asked for a cure Axel grinned and shook his head, saying this was a lesson Sora had to learn.

"I can get rid of them if you ask nicely, termite," Vanitas drawled. Sora ignored him and carried on with chin held high. Before parting ways in the front hall, Vanitas plugged his nose and asked if they were getting paid for training today. Axel shrugged yes. Sora thought it was only fair. When Sora tried itching at the hand burns, Vanitas cast cure again. When the ribbons disappeared, Sora muttered that he needed to work in the electrical room with Cid.

"Sora needs an hour break, right?" Vanitas said. "Isn't that the law? Five hours max before break on eight hour days?"

"Six hours max, Vanitas, though I don't dislike your idea," responded Axel. "Sora, if I paid you for the hour, would you take a shower and then go on lunch?"

"I… I think I'm alright," Sora muttered, trying to slither towards the elevators. Vanitas caught him by the arm and shoved him back before he could leave. Axel glowered from one boy to the other and held out his arms. Steam rose from his shoulders.

"I don't care how you wash yourselves," he hissed. "But if you're not washed within an hour, Sora, I'm expelling you."

"What?" Sora cried as Axel turned to walk away. "You can't do that!"

"I sure as fuck can!" Axel sang over his shoulder. "We still haven't decided whether we're keeping you or not, remember? Eraqus doesn't go over your journal till next week, and you already have two notes of insubordination."

"Two?" breathed Sora in horror.

"Marluxia and Lexaeus," Axel called. "Next time, I'll get Larxene."

Sora's knees shook. He glanced from Axel to Vanitas, deciding who was worse. Then, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he headed for the stairs. Vanitas followed close behind. When Sora felt his eyes boring into him, he stomped faster. Soon they were veering towards the dorms. When Sora got to his door, he shuffled through his pockets for his keys. All he felt were rubies. As he dug to the bottom of the joggers, the color left his face. He glanced up at the clock. Fifty minutes. He whipped his head towards the window looking out on the forecourt at the hall's end.

"Shit," he whined to himself, digging farther in his pockets. Some of the rubies spilled onto the floor. Footsteps crunched behind him. Vanitas was bending at his side, picking the rubies up and examining them above his head. His eyes twinkled.

"These are synthesis materials," he whispered. "Cool." When he tried pocketing them, Sora snapped that they were his. Vanitas rose to his full height. Sora shrunk against his dorm door.

"If you were a little more polite, termite, I might be nicer," Vanitas hissed. Sora gulped and turned, trying to act like he was searching for his key. When Vanitas stayed at his side, Sora gave a hoarse whistle and pretended to put the key in the door.

"Just sticking a little," he croaked. "You go ahead."

"You're not holding anything, Sora."

Sora froze. When he glanced into Vanitas' face, his eyes widened. The boy wore a malicious grin. Before Sora could protest, Vanitas clamped his arm tight around his shoulder and steered him to a room at the very end of the hall. After unlocking the door, he shoved Sora so hard that more rubies spilled from his pockets. Sora swept them all towards him before Vanitas could take any more. Vanitas stepped over him to pull new clothes from his closet.

His room was a mess. Clothes strewn everywhere, bottles of cologne or cream opened haphazardly on his desk, handles knocked off his dresser, papers crumpled and books upended as if they had been through a tornado. Vanitas tore through his dresser drawers for underwear. When he found them, he chucked a pair at Sora's head. Then he kicked across the ground for a towel. Sora was just pocketing the last of his rubies when Vanitas grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and hoisted him up. They trudged together to the showers. Sora crossed his fingers in the hopes that someone else would be in there. But there was no one.

When they were inside Vanitas shoved Sora against the lockers. Sora trembled as he searched for his. When he found it, he swore under his breath. Maintenance had roped it off. Vanitas swapped his and Sora's clothes for his shampoo, soap, and body wash. Once his locker was shut again, he tore off his shirt and used it to wipe the sweat and ash from his face and neck. Sora glanced towards the mirrors and winced. Two bright blue eyes stared back at him through a thick layer of dirt, grease, and cinders. When he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, he grimaced. It was covered in soot as well. The sound of the showers turning on made him jump.

Vanitas stood with his chest pointed towards the bathroom entrance and his head lolled back towards the shower wall. Water the color of tar streamed from his shoulders and swirled in a dark pool around his feet. Sora scooted towards the benches, closed his eyes, and sucked in a deep breath. Then he peeled off his shirt and pants. When he got down to his boxer briefs, he peered under his eyelashes to see if Vanitas was watching.

"Eyes to yourself, termite," Vanitas snapped. Sora forced his vision down as Vanitas cackled. With a deep breath he shut his eyes and peeled off his underwear. When he was completely naked he shielded himself with his hands and tiptoed towards the shower on the opposite end of the tile. Turning away from Vanitas, he pressed the shower on and relaxed as warm waves fell over his head and onto his aching muscles. He felt his mouth loll open. Sighing, he shook his head and massaged his arms and calves. Then he reached to where his shampoo normally would have been and stopped. Sora looked up.

Across the tile, Vanitas was washing his lower abdomen. When he saw Sora watching, he challenged him with a raised brow. Sora hunched over himself and glanced towards the shampoo. Vanitas' eyes narrowed.

"You want it, come get it," he hissed. Glancing back away, he soaped between his thighs. Sora waited in patience. Once Vanitas was finished, Sora walked towards him with his eyes shut and his arms out. When he got closer to running water, he reached out and set his hands around the shampoo. As he picked it up, he yelped and tumbled to the side. Vanitas cackled. He was standing several feet from the shower head. The dial had been turned to freezing.

Before Sora could open the cap on the shampoo, Vanitas grabbed his arm and asked for the magic word. Sora's shoulders fell in disbelief. When Vanitas dug his thumb right into the center of Sora's forearm, he yelped and said please. Vanitas let go. Sora upended the bottle over his chestnut brown hair and squeezed until it felt like someone had cracked an egg over his scalp. Then he put the shampoo at Vanitas' side, wandered back to his own showerhead, and started to scrub.

The water coming off his shoulders was a sickly greenish brown. When he tried using shampoo to wash the rest of him, Vanitas threw him his soap. Sora caught it and washed himself with it in trepidation. When he was finished he threw it back to Vanitas and grabbed for his towel. It was not there. The soap clattered across the ground. Ahead, the bathroom entrance squealed shut. Sora's mouth fell open. He dashed back to the lockers and hunted around the bench. All of his clothing was gone.

"You asshole!" he screeched. Furious, he kicked his foot into the metal leg of the locker room bench and yelped when pain seared through his toe. He sat down and rubbed the broken nail, only realizing how badly he was shaking when he curled up. Refusing to cry, he took a deep breath and shook himself off like a dog. Then, dripping wet, he stalked to the mirrors and stared at himself. He was his cleanish, tan, freckled self again. A little taller, a little more filled out. One day in the sun had made the highlights of his dark brown hair honey blond. His eyes were red and puffy. He wiped them off and sucked in another deep breath. Then, he pointed his bare self towards the locker door and pushed through.

He felt his extremities shrink as soon as the hall air hit him. With his hands clamped in front of him and his head held high, Sora marched to Vanitas' door and knocked with one shaking fist. No one answered. He scowled and knocked again. Then he called Vanitas' name.

"Vanitas, I know you took my stuff!" he croaked. No one responded. For ten minutes Sora rapped on Vanitas' door. Once he was finished, he knocked on Ventus' door. No one came. In defeat Sora trudged to and slid down his own door until he sat with his hands cupped between his splayed legs and his head rested just below the doorknob. He sniffed. Tears spilled down his cheeks. The sun sunk to the west. Just when he grew certain he would be stuck wet and naked before his dorm door forever, the sound of footsteps clobbered up the exit stairwell. When Sora clapped his knees together and glanced towards the open door, he met eyes with Terra. Without thinking, Sora sprang up and threw out his arms in desperation.

"Terra!" he gasped. "I'm locked out of my room! Vanitas took my stuff!"

Before Terra could respond, another voice rang out beside him as Aqua blustered into the hall as well. When she caught sight of Sora's nude form, her eyes widened and she yelped in fright. Sora screeched and crouched down just as she turned her back to him.

"What the absolute fuck!" she bellowed. Terra's face was nearly as red as Sora's. He stamped his foot and demanded to know what was going on.

"I told you!" Sora cried. "I got locked out and all my stuff is gone!"

"I don't believe this…" scowled Terra, trudging to his own room and telling Aqua to stay in the stairwell. Sora tried not to look at her as he tiptoed to Terra's side. As Sora attempted sinking into the wall, Terra shook his head and unlocked his door. He ducked inside and shoved Sora a towel. When Sora got it he wrapped it around himself and hurried to Terra's bedside. Terra called "clear" and the exit stairwell door smashed open. Soon Aqua was inside the room as well. Sora tried to eliminate the fact that there was one layer between his bare ass and Aqua's eyes from his thoughts. As he cuddled into his knees like a little bird, Terra tore around for clothes. He brought out an old pair of briefs, athletic shorts, and a massive t-shirt and chucked them at Sora's face. Sora hid himself beneath his towel as he changed. When he was finished, he handed the towel back to Terra with his head bent low. He could feel Aqua's glare. When he asked for the time, Aqua responded that it was four thirty. Sora swore to himself and tugged at his hair.

"You said Vanitas hid your clothes?" Aqua asked.

Sora nodded and wiped at his eyes. Aqua stared at him with the same look of pity Argento used to give him.

"How long have you been sitting outside your door?"

"I went into the shower at 2."

"And you had to be somewhere by four?"

"Well, my lunch break was at 3, so I should have been at work thirty minutes ago."

Aqua's mouth dropped as her brows creased up.

"Will Organization Thirteen get mad?"

"I don't know," muttered Sora. "Depends on which one supervises. I work in the electrical room with Cid Haze. I don't think he can tell time."

"Huh," Aqua muttered with bitten lip. "Well, I'll run down with you so you have an excuse."

"Should I come?" asked Terra. Aqua shook her head and said she would meet him in the forecourt. Terra smiled and said okay, but his shoulders sagged as he shut the door behind them. Aqua and Sora trundled half way down the stairs before Sora yelped in pain. When Aqua asked what was wrong, Sora muttered that he had stepped on something. In embarrassment he realized he forgot to get shoes. Aqua dashed up for an old pair of Terra's. While she was gone, Sora glanced around to see what pierced his foot. When he peered down, he noticed a line of varying sized rubies scattered along the stairs surrounding. They must have fallen from Vanitas' pockets as he ran. The exit door above burst open and Aqua charged down to meet him. When Sora put the ancient sneakers on his feet, he sighed in relief. They were big, but at least his toes did not crunch at the top. As they walked down, Aqua smiled at him. Sora blushed and asked what was wrong. Aqua shrugged.

"Nothing," she murmured. "You just remind me so much of Ven. Maybe a tiny Terra."

Sora imagined his own head above Terra's immaculate pectorals and grinned. Then, pocketing the rubies, he continued down the stairs with Aqua trailing behind.

"Has Ventus been acting funny around you lately?" blurted Aqua. Sora stopped in his tracks, picking up again when Aqua kept walking. He shook his head and muttered that he did not know. Aqua pursed her lips. Then she swept to the electrical room door and knocked. There was a clatter and bang before Cid opened the door. Standing close behind him were Ventus, and to Sora's dismay, Larxene. When she saw Sora her eyes narrowed.

"Sora," she cooed. "You're late."

"A classmate hid his toiletries while he was in the shower," Aqua explained in a knowing tone. "He was sitting outside of his dorm naked when myself and Terra traveled upstairs."

When Sora saw the way Larxene snorted and drew up to her full height in front of Aqua, he wished he had had Terra come down instead. Larxene cocked her head to the side.

"I can't control what Sora does on his break," she sneered. "Maybe next time he should watch his stuff better."

Sora cowered as Larxene shoved past Aqua and grabbed him by the collar. When Sora was successfully shoved against the line of circuit breakers lining the back wall of the electrical room's main hall, Larxene cooed farewell to Aqua and slammed the door in her face. When she bent near Sora's nose, he gulped.

"Guess this means three black marks, Mr. Exhibitionist," she whispered. "Insubordination times two. Tardiness times one. And two counts of public indecency."

"I'm really sorry," whined Sora. Larxene slapped him on the head and told him to get to work. Cid Haze was just explaining how to rewire. Sora listened with rapt attention. When he was finished, he returned to the x-marked circuits and turned them off so that they could be fixed. Larxene stood behind him the whole time.

"Are those Terra's clothes?" she asked. Sora nodded. Larxene harrumphed, cooing, "Poor Sora is always getting into trouble." When she got fed up bothering him, she moved onto Ventus. When Ventus' shift ended before he could finish rewiring his section, Sora offered to keep going in his place. While he worked, Larxene sat near Cid and ignored him as he tried making conversation. As Sora sat alone in the darkness, he listened to Cid describing a major clog in the faculty shower facilities on ground floor. Sora found himself sniffing. Before long he was crying softly. It made him scowl.

"Stop being a baby!" he muttered to himself. It did not help. Instead he wallowed in thoughts of Destiny Islands, and how good it would feel to be doodling through math class with Mr. Tilmitt, playing blitzball with Wakka, and jumping off the pier on the island into underwater worlds unlike anywhere else. He missed his mom. He missed Riku and Kairi. Their trip to Luca returned to his mind. How they had dived off the boat near the uncharted island and lied together on the beach, clasping each other's hands. The Organization kept telling him his friends were close as could be, but something did not feel right. As he sniffled and wiped at his eyes, a few of the rubies from the stairwell fell from his pockets. The rustle of leather sounded behind him. When Sora whizzed around to see where it came from, he found himself face to face with the strangest creature he had ever seen.

It had beige fur and pudgy, donut hole legs. Its head was the largest part of its body and must have been mostly filled with some sort of noble gas the way it floated of its own accord. Its eyes mushed together under the folds of its skin, its cheeks shone rosy, its nose was spherical, clownish, and pink, its ears were small and fluffy, and it had a crimson red pom-pom dangling off a string on the crown of its head like that of an angler fish. Tiny, purple leather wings flapped madly from its back. Though its eyes looked shut, it gazed at Sora as if it knew him. Sora stared back in wonder. The creature seemed to be hoarding his dropped rubies in a pouch in its stomach, along with a few rat-tails and old thunder gems.

"Have you been raiding the trashcan?" Sora whispered. The creature tottered towards him in hesitation. Under the light it looked haggard. It had bags under its eyes. Sora touched his heart.

"I can get you some food," he suggested. "What food do you like?"

To Sora's surprise, the creature shrugged. Sora sniffed back tears. The creature coughed. Sora thought he heard it say "kupo."

"Would you…" he hesitated. "Like to be my friend?"

The creature stared at him with its squashed, red-rimmed eyes. Then it spit up at his feet and stumbled back behind the circuit breakers.

~X~

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 **A/N: please follow, favorite, and review!**


	5. Dinner Plans

~X~

 ** _Chapter Five_**

~X~

During his second week as an Organization Thirteen intern, Sora helped Lexaeus treat the weathering on the bricks and stone tables lining the summit, tended the gardens out back of the school with Marluxia, unclogged the mangrove forest lining the burger joints of soda cans, plastic, and old burger bits, hunted boars in the deep woods near town, and holed up in the library to discover what the creature in the electrical room was. He went down to visit it every day with a new type of food. But it was only when he pruned the shrub sculptures outside the maze that he realized what he had been looking at.

"What's that one?" he asked Marluxia as he pointed to the shrub in the shape of a large headed creature with bat wings and a floating pom-pom. Marluxia chuckled and said he should have known already.

"Well, I don't," Sora snapped.

"Careful," Marluxia warned. "I enjoy you Sora, but not enough to deal with excessive cheekiness."

Sora scowled and snipped a little too hard at the platform beneath the creature's feet. When he cut off half of its leafy toe, he tried evening it out on the creature's other foot. When its legs shrunk from donut holes to two sharp triangles, he knew he had gone too far. He just hoped no one noticed the needle like ankles and lack of feet.

Once all the sculptures were pruned and the bells inside the school tolled four, Marluxia signaled for Sora to accompany him back to his office. As Sora did, Marluxia told him that the creature was called a Moogle.

"Moogle?" Sora repeated. Marluxia nodded.

"Moogles synthesize magical items," Marluxia explained.

"What kind of items?" asked Sora. Marluxia shrugged.

"Anything, really. Armor, weaponry, potions, ethers, elixirs, power and defensive boosts… fascinating creatures. The more experienced, the better."

"Oh," Sora murmured. Then he asked what they liked to eat. Marluxia shrugged and responded, "Kupo nuts. But they're near extinct in this world, and foreign nuts are quite expensive."

Sora nodded to himself. When Marluxia asked why he was so curious, Sora responded that he had always wondered what the shrub sculptures were.

"What about the fat headed cat?" he asked as Marluxia opened the door to Reno's office. Marluxia responded that Sora would have to figure that one out for himself. Sora followed him inside and skipped the steps two at a time, jumping into the chair before the desk with a smile.

"Has my fate been decided?" he asked. Marluxia shook his head and said the committee was running late, as Eraqus was on vacation with Master Xehanort in the Land of Departure's Northern beaches. When Marluxia finished shuffling through the paperwork lining the desk, he folded his hands and looked into Sora's eyes.

"I brought you up here to ask about your memories," he murmured. "Do you remember any of what happened in the dream pod?"

"That egg?" asked Sora. Marluxia nodded. Sora shrugged and responded, "bits and pieces." Marluxia sported a cool smile and held up a freshly laminated spiral bound report. On its front in large, capital print was the label, _"Jiminy Journal: Sora Nomura- COMPLETE."_

"Naminé just sent this to Reno," Marluxia sighed. He placed the report in Sora's hands. "It is your mind's journal of what happened in your dream, including after the sleeping mist wore off. Naminé said it will all come back to you the more you read it."

"Does this mean Riku is almost ready to wake up?" Sora cried in excitement. Marluxia's smile disappeared.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You said Riku was still sleeping!" Sora explained. "When will he wake up?"

"I believe we told you Riku will wake up when school begins, Sora," Marluxia cooed. "Perhaps you should listen more carefully next time."

"But-" Sora tried, but Marluxia held up a silencing hand.

"This should not concern you, Sora," he insisted. "You should concentrate on getting to know your other classmates, rather than continuing to hang off of Riku's coattails. Let him breathe. He is well cared for. I'll have Axel and Larxene take you all out for dinner tonight, how about that?"

Sora's stomach rumbled in betrayal. He scowled as it groaned. While he sat, Marluxia thumbed through his second weekly mission report. When he was finished he nodded and asked for Sora's ID card. Sora said he did not have it. When Marluxia asked why not, he said that it was in his room.

"And what is wrong with your room?" intoned Marluxia.

"I can't get in," responded Sora. "I lost my key in the valley. Cid said he'd make me a new one, but I think he forgot."

"Cid is not authorized to cast you a new key," Marluxia snapped. "How have you been sleeping, dressing, and washing?"

"Terra lets me stay in his room and borrow his stuff," Sora muttered. He decided not to tell Marluxia that he had been using the faculty bathroom on the ground floor to shower every day. Probably because it was summer, it was unlocked most of the time, and Sora wanted to keep it that way to avoid Vanitas. Marluxia stared at him in suspicion. Then he scowled, took out a blank ID card and a camera from the third drawer down on the left, and told Sora to stand against the wall. Sora backed against peach painted sheetrock between two steps and beamed.

"Don't smile," Marluxia snapped. Sora settled for a purse lipped half grin. He was sure his eyes closed on the flash. When he asked Marluxia if he could see the picture, the man shook his head. Instead, he copied it onto his laptop and sent it along with Sora's information to Naminé. In the meantime, he scribbled his signature on the temporary ID card and handed it over.

"Take this into town today and buy yourself clothing, toiletries, and a haircut," he instructed. "Organization Thirteen will cover dinner. There is a credit for 40,000 munny on this card. This is your paycheck. Do not exceed it. If you exceed the munny limit, I will be contacted and you will receive disciplinary action."

Sora nodded and gripped his temporary card tight. When he asked if he could visit Riku, Marluxia said no.

"And if you disturb Naminé, I will expel you," he chirped. When Sora shrank, Marluxia stood, walked the desk edge until he sat facing the boy's knees, and held out his hand. When Sora took it, he squeezed.

"This is a delicate process, Sora," he murmured. "It is teaching at its highest degree. Our most certain hypotheses could not encapsulate what happened inside Riku's pod. If he is to continue the illustrious career he began at this school, he must be transformed. Did you not transform from your first day here, Sora? Have you not become a whole new person?"

Sora's insides flipped as the strong hand gripping his own settled against its owner's thigh. As Sora stared at his palm rested inches from the fly of Marluxia's slacks, he furrowed his brows. Then, relinquishing his fist and clutching his hands to his chest, he remembered Argento.

"When you talk about hypothesis and observation and stuff," he murmured. "That sounds like experimentation to me. Not teaching."

Marluxia pierced him with a long, cold stare. His mouth curled into a crinkly grin. His eyes remained sharp and cool. He gave a throaty chuckle.

"How you have changed, Sora!" he mused, crossing his arms before him as his slacks brushed Sora's bare knees. "The new Vanitas!"

"What?" said Sora. His mouth went dry. His hands clenched of their own accord. Marluxia cocked his head to the side in such an overtly thoughtful way it seemed mocking.

"Both talented… nosy, impulsive, cheeky, and passionate… with a certain disregard for rules and a knack for pressing people under their thumb. On looks alone, you could pass for twins."

Sora was too shocked to speak. Marluxia leaned backwards over his desk and slipped Sora's mission report and a pen into his hands. After clicking off the cap, he set the report on his lap and continued scribbling across the page bottom.

"Maybe if you got to know him, you would not hate him so."

"I doubt it," worded Sora.

"You are dismissed," responded Marluxia. "Your mission for next week will be to probe him. I will need his favorite color, band, food, flower-"

"Flower?"

"-Flower, article of clothing, animal, drink, smell, season… and his ideal date."

"Son of a nutcracker."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Then please go."

Sora shoved out of his chair, snatched his new mission report and Jiminy Journal from Marluxia's grip, and stomped down and out of his office in a huff, knocking into Marluxia's knees as he passed. He was so furious his hands shook. When the door shut behind him, he swiveled around to face it. As he looked at the glass window in the door's upper center, covered over with white paper on the inside, he stuck out his tongue. The gesture was surprisingly liberating.

Sora stood back several steps and stuck his left hand on his hip, dangling his Jiminy Journal at the door daintily with his right.

"My name id Marlyuuutcha," he mocked in a high pitched, baby voice. "I hab pink hyerrr, I like flowerd, I tink I'm hawwwt, I tink I'm thmarrrt, I team up with seventeen year old psychopaths to ruin Sora's life!"

Clapping rose a few feet behind Sora's back as he sputtered. As its echo slipped through his ears, he froze. When he turned and peeked over his shoulder his mouth fell.

Axel stood ten feet away, grinning. When Sora turned to look at him full on, the redhead bowed. When he came back up, he clapped again.

"Excellent, Sora," he announced. "Spot on. Though instead of, 'I team up with seventeen year old psychopaths,' I'd suggest, 'I _am_ a seventeen year old psychopath."

"Huh?" Sora gasped. "Marluxia is seventeen?"

Axel snorted. "Seventeen in monster years, thirty-five in human. But who's counting?"

"Marluxia is a monster?" asked Sora.

"No more a monster than Vanitas," chirped Axel.

"Then he's a monster," Sora hissed. Axel smiled in pity. Then he held out his palm.

"Shake hands in mutual hatred of our elders, but not our betters?"

Even though a grin was twitching the side of his mouth, Sora narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Axel cocked his head. Finally, Sora caved and shook his hand. When he asked why Axel was being so nice all of a sudden, Axel shrugged that his vacation was thawing his frozen heart.

"I mean, come on!" he sighed in mock adulation. "Instead of teaching a classroom of magical meatheads, I get to do manual labor passed off as mission work. Gods, I love my job!"

"Can't be much more exciting than being asleep for seven months," Sora retorted with a frown. Axel beamed, muttering with a wink that he would switch any day.

"When your new boss makes you his personal slave to torment your pride, a bit of sleep sounds like heaven," he muttered. Then he snorted, "Though I'm sure Reno loves reading, "I made your brother do X excruciating manual labor," every night."

Sora stared at the red head in pity as the man wiped his temple. He looked exhausted. As they stood across from one another in silence, Sora asked why Axel pushed so hard for him to get kicked out his first semester. Axel shrugged and responded that it was because he wanted him kicked out. Sora's mouth dropped.

"Wait, wait, wait," he blubbered. "Weren't you unlocking my inner strength?"

"Nah," Axel sighed after deliberation. For a moment he peered towards Reno's office door. Then he slipped his walkie-talkie from his pocket and reported that he was making sure Sora went into town for clothes. After Marluxia confirmed, Axel indicated for Sora to walk ahead of him. Sora watched Axel over his shoulder as he trudged. The man slipped his hand in his jean pocket and wiped the dirt from his face with his other. He had been doing some sort of forest work again. When the pair reached the forecourt, Axel took a toothpick from his pocket and chewed it like it was a blade of grass. They began descending the mountain path.

"I hear I am to slither from the shadows to take you and Thing 1 and 2 to dinner," Axel said.

"Who?" Asked Sora.

"Vanitas and Ventus," Axel responded. Another grin tugged at Sora's cheek.

"The three caballeros!" Axel mused beside. "At least, that's what Marluxia said over Reno's walkie-talkie. You know how much that man communicates with us over walkie-talkie? All we ever heard from Reno was an occasional spout of muffled cursing when he sat on the speaker button. Marluxia warns us how long he's going to be in the bathroom."

"Huh," muttered Sora. Axel snorted. Then he clamped his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Say, be good this evening, would you?" he said with a wink. "I've got to keep on the line."

"How does that involve me?" Snapped Sora.

"Your behavior reflects on my guidance," Axel grinned. He shook his head. "Especially after that Sota thing."

"What?" gasped Sora, stopping in his tracks. Axel shot him a sly glance before shrugging and sighing, "Oh, just pushing back Nao's expulsion last fall."

"You…" Sora thought of what Argento had said the year before.

 _"If we make an appeal, it can't be me… but I'll find someone to stand in our corner…"_

Sora gaped. Tears welled in his eyes. "You were the one…" he worded. Then he demanded to know why Axel had not told him sooner.

"I didn't want you trusting me," Axel explained.

"I don't!" shot Sora in return. But he mumbled that what Axel did was nice. Suddenly, he asked Axel if he reminded him of Vanitas. Axel snorted and asked why.

"Marluxia said we could be twins," Sora mumbled. Axel grimaced. Then his eyes narrowed.

"Between you and me, Sora," he sighed. "Marluxia's not the sharpest thorn in the bush."

Sora fell into a mad fit of giggles that Axel soon joined. As he wiped around his eyes, he added that he would appreciate if this conversation stayed private. Then he told Sora to "go forth and purchase." Sora saluted him and swiveled on his heels. With his temporary ID gripped tightly in his hands, he jogged across the bridge and down the path past the burger joint. Sota had told him once about a good hairdresser's in the valley. Now, he would finally be able to try it out.

~X~

* * *

 **A/N: Ah... more quality time with Vanitas. And Marluxia being a creep. Marluxia is a creep in all of my fan fictions. It's just a vibe he gives off. Anyway, we finally found out who the mystery professor who helped Sota and Nao last semester was! Please continue to follow, favorite, and especially review. **


	6. Secrets

**A/N: Bonjour, mes amis! I know it's been a while, but I'm back! School and work are already insane. I'm publishing this during a much needed homework break T.T. I'd hoped the lag in upload time might inspire more reviews and follows, but I was wrong. I hope people are reading... anyway, you're in for a surprise. Enjoy.**

* * *

~X~

 _ **Chapter Six**_

~X~

Sora examined himself in the faculty bathroom mirror in awe, shivering slightly. He had just had a cold, body only shower to save his freshly cut hairdo for his night out. Now, he stood dry and naked save for his very own, brand new pair of boxer briefs with built in moisture protection. As he ran his hands over his hips, his heart jumped and a tear welled in his eye.

 _"By gods,"_ he thought to himself. _"I think I feel sexy."_

Sora peered around as if someone would jump from the shadows to laugh at him. When he was sure no one was hiding inside the drain or behind the toilet seats, he turned back to his reflection and tried striking a sultry pose. He ended up looking like a baby with a bad back sucking its thumb. When he realized his physical stupidity, he grimaced and shook the expression off, standing normally with his hands on his hips, legs shoulder length apart, and his chest straight and head held high. He readjusted the little crown necklace he always wore and spun around with a giggle. His hair swished with him.

His gravity defying locks usually arched in the shape of an equilateral triangle with several massive shards jutting out the top, his bangs folding into three equidistant points. Either it had been a much darker brown, or Sora's hair had just been really dirty from his time asleep. Now, it shone chestnut brown with honey highlights. The stylist had layered Sora's fringe in a much more attractive, side swept way. The overall shape was more of a diamond, now, and every unsightly point had been trimmed down. When he finished admiring his new locks, he flitted towards his clothes, spreading them out on the locker bench and cupping his hands over his mouth in excitement before he tried them on.

In honor of Riku, he had gotten chaps, knee length instead of full, black instead of indigo. They came with two red thigh packs tied together by yellow leather. He got a new blue belt, a zip up vest, and an astounding, metal shoulder plated, cropped, short sleeved hoodie with yellow buckles, complete with steel plated, fingerless gloves. His new shoes were yellow and black with a zipper down the middle and two fat, crisscrossed laces shielding the center. Sora bit his lip. Then, in a scramble, he put them all on, trying to his best effort not to tear or stretch anything. When he was finished, he stood back and examined himself again. His cheeks shone pink with happiness. His skin glowed with joy. He could hardly stay rooted to the ground. He felt like a former loser after a rom-com movie makeover. He felt like he could climb to the top of the North peak and dive from its cliffs into the water below as if he had been doing it his whole life.

With a sigh he glanced down at his new watch. For once, he was early. With a grin he readjusted his shirt and pants, checked his hair and teeth one more time, and sauntered out with his ID card clipped in the inward zipper of his right thigh pack. As he passed Marluxia in his office, he winked. The man stared at his new clothing in shock. Sora bobbed his head and whistled when he rounded the stairs, skipping two at a time until he reached Cid Haze on the ground floor. When the old man caught sight of him, he ripped off his sunglasses and did a double take. When he finished, he whistled and gave Sora a clap.

"Wow-wee, boy!" he guffawed. "Style itself haunts the halls!"

"Remind you of your glory days, Haze?" Sora chanced in his best devil-may-care, reluctant hero voice. Cid Haze howled and slapped his knee. Then he pointed at Sora with a narrow eyed beam.

"You cheeky lad!" he cawed. "Don't make the ladies swoon too fast! Save some for the rest of the summer!"

Sora beamed and cocked his head even higher. He sauntered through the exit door to the entrance hall inflated, bursting through the front double doors as if cherubim hummed around his head. When he made contact with what stood in the forecourt before him, though, he felt himself deflate.

Ventus, Vanitas, and Axel stood side by side at the forecourt center, staring at Sora in their own unique way. Axel looked like he was examining a creature of the deep. Vanitas' eyes gleamed with muffled laughter. Ventus snorted in derision, as if a massive booger clung to Sora's nose. When Sora glanced past all of them, he held out his arms and asked the first question that came into his mind.

"How do I look?"

Axel blinked and furrowed his brows. Vanitas cracked into manic laughter, curling over his chest and howling into the mosaic below his feet. Ventus rolled his eyes and glanced around in disbelief. As Sora took their reactions in, his arms lowered of their own accord, sinking into his sides and clamping there like clams. Axel pursed his lips and gave a half smile. Then he told everyone to follow him.

Sora stayed at the back of the line, watching Ventus and Vanitas walk together. Ventus had traded his training clothes for a white t-shirt and khaki pants. Vanitas sported the outfit he had worn the night of the party on Avenida. His nipples peeked out of the massive slits where his shirt's sleeves should have been whenever he raised his arms. Sora could not help but notice the awed way Ventus glanced at the older boy's body. Vanitas' muscles rippled across his bronze shoulders as he gesticulated. When Sora glanced down at his own arms, his heart fell. His mouth shut for the rest of the trip.

When they reached the village they went into some restaurant with native Land of Departure cuisine. It had a balcony overlooking water just like the burger joint, but instead of the smell of burger fat, smoke, and rubber and mangrove, the pungent scent of salt, seafood, and spices wafted through the air surrounding. Everything smelled delicious. Sora closed his eyes as he took it in until someone elbowed him to keep going. The building was connected to the land by a pier. The river beneath gushed cool. Laughter and traditional music grew louder the closer the quartet got. Sora spotted salsa dancers twirling around the pier's left side. They must have been part of a club. Axel signaled the boys forward and commented that Larxene might pay a visit as well.

"Will Naminé come?" gushed Sora. Vanitas and Ventus stared dully at him. Axel shook his head. Sora clamped his mouth shut.

Their feet passed from packed mud to wood as they boarded the pier. Couples old and young lined its sides, whispering and chatting to one another in a language Sora did not know. When Sora stole glances at Ventus and Vanitas, he noticed them grinning and whispering. He wondered if they understood what the people were saying. When gibberish flowed from Vanitas' mouth into Ventus' ear, Sora got his answer. They both looked back at him for a brief spell before hurrying forward. Sora grimaced and tried to remember his native tongue lessons. He could remember a few letters from Spiran script. But his Al Bhed was severely lacking.

"I is e," he muttered to himself. Subject always came first in Al Bhed. "Everyone" was a compound word. He racked his brain trying to remember the word for hate. His mind kept saying "tyga," but that could not be right. He ran through all the consonants with it before Vanitas looked back and asked what he was mouth shitting about.

"Probably wondering why you left half your shirt at home, Vanitas," called Axel. Sora decided to walk beside him from then on. As they crossed the pier to the entrance of the restaurant, Axel called out to a woman with blonde, slicked back hair. She was wearing a skintight, velvet black mini-dress with spaghetti straps and a square neckline. Her PVC peep toe pumps catapulted her into nineties girl band territory that her leather jacket could not forgive. When she saw Axel, she grinned, held up her cigarette, and let it drop, stubbing it out with her heel as she blew the last of the smoke behind her.

"Did you get a table?" Axel asked.

"No, dumbass, I wasn't the one who made the reservation."

Axel harrumphed and slipped ahead of her, slipping off his bomber jacket and hiking up the sleeves of his striped jersey top to his elbows. He shoved his hand into the front pocket of his black skinny jeans until he fished out his wallet. When he brandished his picture to the hostess and told her his name with a wink, she blushed and directed the party to their table.

"I like your teardrops," she squeaked as everyone got seated. For a moment Axel furrowed his brows in confusion. When he remembered the tattoos on his cheeks, he grinned in realization and said thank you. When Sora attempted sitting between he and Larxene, Axel maneuvered so Sora was forced beside Vanitas. Sora scowled. An older waitress with grey peppered hair, golden skin, and a brilliant pink flower in her hair handed out menus. When she finished, she fanned herself and chuckled.

"Such handsome faces at this table!" she beamed as she glanced at everyone. When she settled on Sora's metal plated shoulders, her smile faltered into slight befuddlement. "With such… interesting taste in style."

Sora went bright red and shoved his head into his menu as Vanitas cackled and pumped his back. He suddenly wanted to rip his new hoodie right off, but he feared everyone would laugh more when they realized he was wearing a zip up, kangaroo pouch sweat vest underneath. Maybe he could throw his chaps into the river when no one was looking. He was wearing athletic stretch, dark wash shorts beneath. He wiped sweat from his brow and thumbed through the main courses, deciding on something called sancocho.

"You know it is stew, right?" the waitress asked. Sora furrowed his brows.

"Fish, potatoes, corn, onions, rice, and a little bit of spice and water."

"That's fine," Sora smiled. Anything with fish reminded him of home. The waitress shrugged and said she would give him some arepas and lemon juice with it. When everyone finished ordering, the waitress collected menus. Sora fished under the table for the list of questions he had to ask Vanitas. He had stored them in one of his thigh pockets. When he caught hold of it, he excused himself and hurried to the bathroom. After locking himself in a stall, he sighed and uncurled the list, mouthing it out loud as he read it through.

"Color, band, food, flower, clothing, animal, drink, smell, season, date." When Sora finished he groaned. How was asking this many questions in one night even possible? Huffing and shoving the paper back in his pouch, he shoved out of the stall and washed his hands. When he dried them he pushed back to the dinner table and sat down just as a bowl of green stew was set before him. When he saw everyone else's steaming tamales and meat dishes, he sighed in dejection. As he slurped, he repeated the list in his mind. Across from him, Larxene engaged Ventus in a conversation about Eraqus. Axel tucked into his main course. Vanitas asked for a glass of red wine. When Axel said no, he scowled and took out his card.

"I said no," Axel hissed. "You want me taking this up with Xehanort?"

Vanitas glared but shoved his card back into his wallet. Then he folded his arms in front of him and sulked. When he caught Sora staring, he asked what he was looking at. Sora shrugged and glanced down. Vanitas gazed over his shoulder.

"Looks like shit," he drawled, pointing to the soup. Sora mumbled that it tasted good. Vanitas snorted.

"Next time try ordering something you can understand."

"If I knew the language here, I might have an easier time," Sora muttered. Vanitas held up his hands in mock surrender. Then he snickered and leaned back in his seat, narrowing his eyes as Ventus laughed at one of Larxene's jokes. Sora took the chance to give him a once over.

Vanitas was dressed completely in black save for crimson laces. Sora pursed his lips and went with the color red on a whim. Band? Vanitas' shirt, Sora noticed for the first time, sported a terrifying picture of a smiling baby with spoons stuck in its eye sockets labeled, "Tear My Eyes Out," by someone called "Obscene Bird." On a wild guess, Sora decided that that was Vanitas' band of choice. Food?

"These tamales are fucking good," Vanitas announced.

Tamales, it was. Clothing? Anything revealing and black, apparently. Drink? Red wine. Smell? Death. Season? Summer. Flower? Something poisonous. Date? Hazing in the bathroom.

Sora snorted under his breath, wondering what Marluxia would do if he got any of the answers wrong. He bit his lip. How could he ask Vanitas these things in an offhand way?

"What are you laughing at?" Vanitas drawled. Sora blinked and shrugged, mumbling that he was thinking of a song he liked. Vanitas looked at him with a dull expression.

"What, _Patty Cakes_?" he said. "That song you sang at the drag competition?"

Sora's face flushed red. His favorite song was actually a lullaby Kairi used to hum sometimes. But he would never tell Vanitas that.

"Is that your favorite band?" asked Sora. Vanitas peered down at his shirt and stretched it out to catch the impaled baby fully on. He snorted, saying it was just a top an old fuck buddy gave him that he cut up. Sora blinked and looked into the opposite wall. Vanitas shrugged and said the singer Yuna was hot.

"How much do you like tamales?"

"They taste good, but they're not my favorite… wait a minute."

Vanitas narrowed his eyes and stared Sora down. Sora attempted not to sweat.

"Are you interrogating me?" he snapped. Sora gave a nervous giggle that definitely gave him away. Kicking himself, he croaked that he just got curious all of a sudden. Vanitas gave a crinkly smile. Then he dived for Sora's opposite thigh pack and fished out the list at lightning speed. Sora gasped as it disappeared into Vanitas' lap.

"Saw you stroking that pouch on your way from the bathroom," Vanitas explained. As he read the list he cackled in incredulity. Sora did not think it was possible to go any redder. He felt like his face would melt.

"Color, band, food, flower, clothing, animal, drink, smell, season, date," Vanitas read out loud with a snort. "Is this a serial killer anagram or something?"

"It's- a- list!" Sora hissed, attempting to snatch the paper from Vanitas' hands. When Vanitas' elbow banged into Axel's bicep, the man snapped for them to cut out the games. Then he eyed Sora with a mental invocation of the promise the two had made earlier. Sora gritted his teeth.

"Please give me back my list," he squeaked with a forced smile. Vanitas stuck his tongue out and grinned.

"Give and take, Sora," he cooed. "Say, I'll answer your questions if you answer mine."

"Fine," hissed Sora. Vanitas let him snatch the paper back and folded his hands over his hips. Sora wondered if one person could sit with their legs any wider apart. Breaking his eyes away, he cleared his throat and glanced through his list.

"What is your favorite color?"

"Olive green."

Sora blinked at him like he was lying. Vanitas grinned and said it was his turn.

"You ever had sex?" he asked. Sora's throat went dry. All of his body heat was nestling in his neck, cheeks, and nether region. For a moment he hesitated, then muttered no. Vanitas narrowed his eyes. Sora gulped and asked what his favorite food was. Vanitas cocked his head and rubbed his neck in thought.

"Tamales," he settled on. Sora scowled in befuddlement and moved on. When he centered on the next question, his shoulders sagged. Vanitas muffled a laugh. Then he asked Sora if he had ever liked a guy. Sora stuttered and glanced into Vanitas' golden eyes with furrowed brows, running through names in his mind. He had appreciated Sota's attractiveness, but he was nothing compared to Nao. Terra was good looking, but Sora hardly knew him.

Without helping it Sora glanced back at Vanitas' shining irises and gulped. They were fringed by long, black lashes, like raven feathers over a pool of gold, surrounded by the warm bronze clay of his skin. His smile was crooked and his teeth were very white. His lips were big. His dark pink tongue ran over them as he wetted them to speak. There was a haze of pink blush across his small, sharp nose.

"Me?" Vanitas intoned. Sora's stomach fluttered and lurched at the same time. He set his head in his hands and insisted, "no." Vanitas cackled and asked whom, then. Axel's throaty laugh erupted from his side as Larxene told a joke.

"No one," Sora snapped. He demanded to know what Vanitas' favorite flower was.

"My favorite clothing is…" Vanitas responded, ignoring Sora's scowl, "maybe like a bracelet. I hate clothes."

He winked. Sora scarfed down another spoonful of stew and coughed.

"Do you masturbate?"

"What?" croaked Sora in exasperation. His teeth chattered he was shaking so much. "I don't even know what that is!"

"Are you serious?" gasped Vanitas. Suddenly Sora burst into a smile and hissed, "yes! Now I get two questions!"

Vanitas' mouth dropped in surprise. Then his eyes narrowed and he set his cheek on his palm. "What's your favorite animal?"

"Human," drawled Vanitas.

"What's your favorite drink?"

"Moscow mule."

"What's your favorite smell?"

"Blood."

In his excitement, Sora blustered halfway into the next question before he realized Vanitas was grinning. When he demanded to know what was so funny, Vanitas said Sora owed him two answers, now.

"Two?" Sora spluttered. Then he realized he had asked a third question before answering his own. He gulped and nodded. Vanitas bit his lip.

"Which faculty member would you fuck?"

Sora rolled his eyes and groaned. When he demanded another question, Vanitas shook his head and cocked his head towards Axel in curiosity. When Axel saw the gesture, he asked what was wrong. Vanitas cackled as Sora's face went purple. Axel furrowed his brows and turned back to Larxene and Ventus. Vanitas repeated his question.

"No, not Axel," hissed Sora. "Not any of them! And I just answered two questions!"

"I didn't ask two questions, Sora, I asked one and cocked my head to the side."

"You asked an extra one before," Sora insisted. "You asked if I'd, uh, liked a guy and I said no and then you said 'me?'"

"I said a word, that's not a question."

"No, you said it with a distinct question-like inflection."

"That was a reiteration of my first question."

"You still said it!"

"Nice cheating, Sora. Just move on."

Sora loathed the cheating jab, but he was too close to victory to play fair, now. He whipped out his crumpled list again; shaking when he saw what number he was on.

"What's your favorite season?"

"Summer."

Sora shut his mouth tight to keep himself from asking another question.

"Has Roxas told you he wants you yet?" asked Vanitas in a whisper. "Has Marluxia?"

"That's two questions!" Sora squealed, banging his fist on the table in triumph. "No, and no!"

"What's your ideal date?"

"Going to a warehouse party and fucking behind shipment boxes," Vanitas responded. Sora's fingers froze. The night on Avenida whizzed through his mind. Having the drinks, smoking the fat cigarette, crunching on gravel and feeling an uncomfortable, piercing sensation. Muffled voices saying things. Events unremembered. Sice's scream. Helping her find her locket. Sora glanced up at Vanitas with wide eyes.

"Did we…" he started, shutting his mouth before he could finish. Vanitas' eyes twinkled. Then, in mock disappointment, he sighed, "I don't remember."

Sora sat still as death. His hands curled into fists. When Axel saw his expression, he looked on Sora with a dark, forbidding glance. Sora bit his tongue so hard it bled. Then he cleared his throat and grinned.

"One more question!" he hissed before Vanitas could stop him. "What's your favorite flower?"

"The water lilies that grow in the basin beneath the school," Vanitas said. Sora did a silent dance with his feet, leaning back in his chair so that he dangled on the back two legs with his head lolling behind him. He punched his fists into the air. Then he sat straight again with a rosy-cheeked smile, ripping his questions in two. He had won. He had persevered and emerged victorious. But when he looked at Vanitas in triumph, his smile disappeared. The bronze boy's eyes narrowed with a snide grin.

"What are you smiling about?" Sora hissed.

"You forgot a question," Vanitas cooed. "You forgot to ask me my favorite band."

The color drained from Sora's face. He spluttered and said that Yuna was Vanitas' favorite.

"Yuna isn't a band," Vanitas said. When Sora fell silent, the bronze boy snickered. "If Marluxia put you up to this," he sneered, "you might want to get these questions answered before I decide to change my mind on all of them."

"Fine, what's your favorite fucking band?" Sora snarled. Vanitas cackled in surprise at the uncharacteristic vitriol. Then he leaned in and winked.

"Where do you take your showers nowadays?" he asked. Sora's mouth fell. His throat closed up. He sat in trembling terror for twenty long seconds before cooling down. When he was done, he shrugged and said he was finished. Vanitas snorted from incredulity.

"You're what?" he laughed. "You never answered my last question!"

"And you never answered mine," snapped Sora. "We're even."

"You asked why I was grinning."

"Game was over by then."

Vanitas gave Sora a dark beam. Then he shrugged and said he had changed his mind on several other questions. Sora sputtered on the stew that he had attempted to continue.

"You can't just change your answers!" he said in panic.

"Shouldn't have asked me at the beginning of the week," Vanitas sighed with another wink. "I'm known to change my mind."

Sora's hand shook against the soup spoon he held in midair. His features twitched and froze, as if a wrench had dropped through the gears winding behind his face. Without quite knowing what he was doing, he shoved out of his seat and moved so that he was standing right in front of Vanitas' splayed legs. The whole table fell silent. Sora's arms vibrated as his fingers curled into fists.

"The way you shove yourself around like you're king of the castle," he started in a small snarl, "disgusts me."

"What did you just say, termite?" Vanitas sneered, shoving out of his seat and meeting Sora's nose. Though Vanitas was six inches taller than him, Sora puffed out his chest and held his ground.

"You think you can do whatever the fuck you like to people," he croaked, holding back hot tears. "But you can't!"

"Oh, grow up, Sora," Vanitas groaned. "I don't think whether I can do- I do. And I've yet to see tears stop me."

"Oh, yeah?" Sora shouted, wiping his eyes as his key blade burst to light in his hand. "Well, maybe if I kill you you'll leave me alone!"

"Oh, you wanna play with the big boys, Sora?" Vanitas snarled, his own massive key blade curling out of the black flames snaking up his arm. In an instant the two boys backed away in ready positions. The rest of the restaurant screamed and emptied. The customers fled to the pier. The waiters hid behind the cocktail bar. Axel and Larxene sprung into action and held the boys back. Axel clamped Sora against his chest while Larxene and Ventus went for Vanitas.

"Sora, you little shit!" Axel snapped as Sora bucked against him. "Lower your weapon- LOWER IT!"

Sora ignored how Axel's steaming skin burned against his arms and neck. Axel scowled and clamped the boy kicking and screaming under his left armpit like a child having a tantrum. Then, hoisting Sora up and gritting his teeth, he forced him out onto the pier as Vanitas taunted and jeered from behind. When the hot spicy air of the restaurant whipped away with the cool breeze from the river, Sora shoved Axel off and began to run. It did not take long for the red head to catch up. When he did, he tackled Sora to the ground and pinned him down by his wrists and thighs. As Sora struggled and screeched beneath him, Axel raised a hand and slapped him hard. Sora gasped. When he recovered, he stared at Axel with a terrible grimace.

"I hate you!" he screamed. "I hate you and I hate him!"

"Big fucking whoop!" Axel bellowed in reply. When Sora tried bucking into him, Axel slapped him again in the opposite direction. Once Sora finally calmed down, Axel warned him that he was getting up. When he pressed away from Sora and stood, Sora panted and sat up against the dirt. When he looked down at himself, he sniffed. His new hair and clothes were ruined. Beside him, Axel cursed under his breath and beat the dirt from his knees.

"New fucking jeans, kid," he muttered. "New fucking jeans…"

"Sorry," Sora muttered without remorse. Axel stared at him and shook his head. Sora curled his face into his knees and sobbed. Axel groaned and glanced around. Then he squatted at Sora's side and rubbed his back. Sora batted him away and scooted off five inches. Axel smoothed his fire red locks, took a long, deep breath, and exhaled. In a calm voice, he asked Sora what was wrong. Sora shook his head.

"Tell Marluxia he can shove that list up his flowery butt," he said hoarsely, throwing the torn paper in Axel's general direction. When Axel caught it off the wind, he read through it with a snort.

"This a 'getting to know you' list Marluxia gave you?" he asked. Sora nodded.

"And you asked these questions to Vanitas interview style ten minutes ago?"

Sora nodded again. Axel chuckled and rubbed his temple.

"Your idiocy inspires me, Sora," he whispered.

"I'm so fucking flattered!" Sora snapped. Axel held his hands up and leaned back.

"Cool it, tiger. It just wows me how much you shoot yourself in the foot."

"How do I shoot myself in the foot," muttered Sora. Axel said he would tell him if he sat on the edge of the pier with him. Sora narrowed his eyes. Then he followed Axel back to the restaurant edge. The salsa dancers had picked up again. Loud, laughing voices told him the restaurant had refilled. Sora refused to look in its windows. When he and Axel sat overlooking the water, Axel took off his shoes and socks and dangled his toes in. Once Sora did the same, he felt immediately better. He also cried. When Axel rubbed his back, he accepted. After a few circulations, Axel's released his grip and clapped his hands.

"A good spy," he started, "keeps the true game a secret." He held his forefinger up.

"Never show your hand before the other person shows theirs. For example, you tell Vanitas to do as you say or Marluxia will flay you. Wrong. There are three ways of making Vanitas behave the way you wish. One: torture him. Illegal, impossible, and unhygienic. Two: enslave yourself to him. Uncomfortable, unhealthy, and downright unbalanced- I spurn servitude from experience. Three: Trick him."

"I can't trick an ant," Sora blubbered.

"Oh, I beg to differ," Axel murmured. "I heard every word you said to him. Several times you tricked him into asking double questions. When he caught on, he did the same."

"You heard… everything?" Sora gulped. Axel nodded and winked. "See? This is an example of the revelation of valuable data. I conceal the fact that I heard what you were discussing. My reward? Vanitas thinks I am an oblivious buffoon, and I am able to reveal this information to you later in an effort to warm you up to me."

Before Sora could reply, Axel continued.

"A spy's best tools are sources- people who will keep his or her secrets in exchange for information. Another example: I would never have asked for Vanitas' information directly. I would have intercepted his acquaintances, gained their trust, and filtered information from them."

"But what if they tell him and he finds out?" asked Sora. Axel shrugged. "Lie and say you were curious about him. Guys like him love people asking after them. Say you secretly admire him."

Sora's gut twisted. When Axel asked what Vanitas had done to make Sora hate him so much, Sora muttered that he could not remember. Axel scoffed and told Sora to stop being a child.

"Of course you remember," he said. "You're either pouting or you're embarrassed." Then he stood. "I'll give you five minutes to remember what he did while I get my coat and go to the bathroom. Otherwise, I'm taking you home without dessert."

Axel pulled on his shoes, hoisted himself up, and sauntered back inside. For a moment Sora looked out on the waves. Then, in a fit of rage, he balled the list and threw it in the water, firing up and shoving on his shoes as its pieces sunk beneath the waves. He heard Vanitas' cackle and Larxene's high-pitched laugh. With bitten lip he considered waiting for Axel. Then, in a burst of energy he lifted off and charged down the pier by himself, past the kissing couples old and new, past the ice cream stand near the pier entrance, past the burger joint, and off into the trees by its side until he reached the steep steps leading up the mountain behind the school. At their peak dangled the old rope bridge behind the maze; the shortcut Sota had showed Sora when they went to synthwave night before the end of the fall semester. Sora dashed across and gasped in relief when he reached the other side. Once he reached the school, he tore up to Terra's bedroom, swept up his mini flashlight, and burst through the exit stairwell, skipping two steps at a time until he reached the very bottom. When he got to the electrical room door, he peeked from side to side and slithered in.

"Hack-attack, where are you?" he called. The familiar flutter of wings sounded in the distance. Sora's heart soared. He rushed down in the sound's direction until he came face to face with his favorite Moogle. When its pudgy, donut hole legs waddled out into the center of the circuit breaker aisle to meet him, he threw out his hands and whimpered.

"Can I have a hug?" he asked. The Moogle trundled over and jumped into his arms hacking "kappa!" It wasn't Sora's name, but at least he wasn't calling him "kupo" anymore. Sora hugged him tight and sat on the floor with him to ask how his day had been. Hacky shrugged and drummed his little toes on Sora's knee. Sora resisted the urge to bounce Hacky's pom-pom. He had read in a creature encyclopedia that that was terrible manners. Sora mumbled that he had not had such a great day himself. When Hacky gave him a knowing, encouraging glance, Sora sniffed back tears.

"I got this sweet new outfit," he sniffed, "from that magical armory shop in the valley. And Cid Haze liked it, and I liked it, but everyone laughed at me when I put it on. Then I went to dinner and Vanitas bullied me."

Hacky pulled a rat-tail out of his pouch and mimed pouncing on it and eating it. Or, as best as he could pounce at his age. He was an old Moogle. He gave Sora another encouraging glance.

"Cannibalism is illegal, Hacky," sighed Sora. "Although, I don't think Vanitas is human…"

Somewhere in the electrical room echoed a croaked shout. Sora froze. Had Cid come down to check the wires after hours? Hacky and Sora exchanged glances. Then Hacky dashed into his hole in the wall as Sora tiptoed down the hall to see where the voice was coming from. The echoing ventilation led him out of the substation to the end of the electrical room's main passageway. When he reached concrete wall, he furrowed his brows in confusion. The sound had gone. He doubled back and returned to the electrical room entrance. Voices lingered in the hall outside. Shutting the lights around him off as quietly as he could, Sora inched forward and turned the handle, peeping out from the crack between the door and the wall while stilling his breath. Outside flashed a head of silver hair. Sora had to clamp his hand over his mouth to stop from gasping.

There he stood. Indigo chaps, yellow cowl necked zip up vest, black x buttoned across his chest, and gloves that barely reached the end of his palms. Riku stood with his hand on his hip, speaking with someone Sora did not know. Everything in Sora's body willed him to dash forward and embrace the silverette. But something kept his feet glued to the electrical room's concrete floor. Perhaps it was the nervous breath of Hacky shivering down his spine.

"Just act normal!" a foreign voice hissed outside. It belonged to a man with a square jaw, manic green eyes, and long blond hair divided in a tight line down the middle. Sora recognized him immediately as a member of Organization Thirteen. When Sora saw the way Riku snorted, he furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, yeah, Geezer Central, no problem-o," Riku drawled. "I'm normal as shit." Then he gave a single guffaw. The older man shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

"Remember the golden rule of PLEASE: patience, lauding, endearing, accepting, singularity, ease."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"It is highly important that you put your best foot forward."

"When will they be here?"

"We have thirty minutes."

"Then I'd better freshen up."

With that, the pair filed through the opening elevator doors. Once the doors closed and the elevator rumbled down through the basements, Sora flew past and out the exit beside, passing the maze and spotting Axel about fifty feet below, lunging around the mountain path towards the school. Sora bit his lip and slipped ahead of him, walking slower until Axel caught up. When the redhead called his name, Sora turned and tried to act as though he had not yet reached the forecourt. Soon Axel was at his side, clutching his ribs as he set his left hand on his knee.

"You little… shit," he gasped. "Why the hell did you run away?"

"I was angry," squeaked Sora, forcing his excitement into the pit of his stomach. Before he took another step, Axel grabbed him by the collar and steered him back towards the village.

"Terra and Aqua are going to babysit you twits for the rest of the evening," he gasped. "Do me a favor and keep Vanitas away from the school. And I'll be talking to you about your behavior tomorrow."

"Sounds great to me," Sora beamed. As Axel snorted behind him, Sora peeked over his shoulder towards the grand hall windows. Somewhere in that academy, Riku was waiting for him.

~X~

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 **A/N: What the hell is going to happen now?! So many unanswered questions, so little time! Stay tuned. I'll try to upload once a week. Please Follow, favorite, and review! Your support is important. **


	7. A Naked Hero

**A/N: Hello again! Sorry for the wait! Guest R12, thank you for your continued support. Thou art my muse. Jackieredfield and ForsakenXIII, I miss you guys! If any of you are devastated that Roxas has not entered the story yet, worry not. He will dive in in a BIG way once summer ends. He's just a busy boy right now. RoxasxSora is a main pairing for this fan fiction. RikuxSora will come in WAY later. I want to tell you guys the rest, but I also want to surprise you!** **There will be MAJOR twists and turns.**

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~X~

 _ **Chapter Seven**_

~X~

Sora woke to the sound of EODM, one of Terra's favorite bands. The earplugs from Argento's stopwatch must have popped out of his ears in his sleep. His alarm was still ringing up at him from the floor. As he reached down to pick it up, he winced at the sunlight streaming through the window and furrowed his brows. Terra was on the floor doing push ups. When Sora saw what time it was he breathed out in relief. As he gathered his clothes, Terra asked if he was late for something.

"No," Sora sighed. "My biological clock is finally synced up to my alarm."

Terra half laughed, half grunted as he pressed up again. After Sora hoisted his toiletries under his arm he said a quick goodbye and tiptoed towards the exit stairwell to the first floor. The employee bathroom was tucked in the faculty only hallway at the right hand side of the library. As usual, it was unlocked. Sora slipped inside and moved to his usual locker, the third from the left, and stripped down. He folded Terra's pajamas over his athletic clothes and placed them inside the door, shutting it and leaving his towel on the bench beside. He had decided to continue wearing Terra's athletic garb until he could find more socially acceptable body wear. Maybe he would save his metal plated combat gear for when he was given a real mission. Tucking his shampoo, conditioner, and soap under his arm, Sora trundled towards the farthest shower head and pressed it on, whistling as he waited for the water to grow hot. He chanced singing as he stuck his head under and emptied shampoo into his hand.

"How did you know, cause I never told," he warbled in falsetto, tapping his feet and swinging his hips back and forth. He even added in a head roll as he rinsed the shampoo out. He spun before he moved onto conditioner.

"You must have heard it from my best friend," he continued, sticking his head under to rinse just as the bathroom door creaked open. "She's always talking when she should be listening. Were my emotions so easily read?" His highest note masked the sound of clothes being set on the bench beside his towel.

"The fuck are you singing, Lush?" called a nasal, singsong voice. Sora yanked his face from the spray of water just as he reached to soap under his arms. When the sound of human movement continued on the tile behind him, his eyes widened in horror.

"Yo, Lush man, got any extra…" Sora turned around just as the voice behind him trailed off. Two horrified, feline green eyes met his own. Sora looked down their owner's pale, naked body until he landed on toes with black nail polish. Sora's blues and the stranger's greens met again. Then, clapping his soapy hands over his penis and shutting his eyes, Sora let out an earsplitting screech.

"Motherfucker!" Axel yelped, grabbing his shampoo bottle and flinging it straight for Sora's nose. When it caught Sora square on the bridge, Sora spluttered and slipped backwards, grabbing the faucet handle and spreading his legs to break his fall. The water turned cold and blasted his back. Sora screeched and slipped to the ground, crawling forward on his belly until a set of strong hands wrenched him up by the scalp and threw him towards the locker bench. When Sora opened his eyes, a towel was thrown over his backside. After circling it around his waist, he turned around and watched as Axel, now sheathed in a pair of boxer briefs, tore Terra's pajamas and clothing from Sora's chosen locker and hoisted them under his arm. With his other arm, he picked up Sora by the hair and guided him out of the locker room like a bull dragging a cart.

"You're pulling!" Sora wailed.

"Big whoop," Axel grunted. He was leading Sora up the exit stairwell past the elevators, up all the way to the boy's dorms.

"Wait!" gasped Sora. "No!"

"Oh, yes," snarled Axel. Bursting into the hall and cursing all the way, Axel dragged Sora to the communal bathroom and kicked the door open with his bare, polished foot. By the sounds of it, a few people were already inside. All their eyes whipped to the door when Axel shoved in with Sora clamped by the hair behind. When he was within throwing distance of the shower tile, he whipped Sora's towel from his backside and kicked him forward until the boy trundled right into Vanitas' bare arms.

"And don't come into the faculty bathroom again, or I'll expel you!" Axel bellowed. When Vanitas, Ventus, and Terra stared him up and down, he snapped for them to keep their eyes to themselves, threw Sora's clothes on the floor, and sauntered off. Terra blushed and muttered that he was leaving as well. When the door closed behind them, Vanitas and Sora looked into each other's eyes. Sora knelt with his hands clamped firmly around Vanitas' elbows, his chest seated right above Vanitas' hips. Vanitas supported his forearms with his wrists and his torso with his knees. A bulge pressed against the bottom of Sora's sternum. When Sora realized what it was, he wrenched out of Vanitas' grip and fell back against the tile. As he scrambled up, Vanitas clapped.

"Good things come to those who wait!" the bronze boy sang. Sora ignored him and hurried for the farthest showerhead, jamming the cold water on and raking his hands over the soap still under his arms and around his groin. When he finished rinsing and turned for his towel, he saw it spread in Vanitas' arms.

"No!" Sora cried, slipping as he tried dashing for it. As he caught the side of the lockers Vanitas cackled and waved the towel in the air.

"The faculty bathroom? Minerva, Sora! So, answer me this," he added, dangling the towel forward and whipping it back when Sora tried to catch it. "Did you get to see Axel's penis? If so, how does it look? Answer me that and I'll write down and sign off on that list of yours, no questions asked."

"It's probably pale pink, judging by the color of the rest of him," drawled a voice behind. When Vanitas turned around in confusion, his mouth dropped.

Riku stood at the locker room center, buck-naked with his hands on his hips. When he noticed the towel hanging limp at Vanitas' side, he snatched it and gave it back to Sora. Sora dried and dressed in a flash while Vanitas stared Riku up and down. Riku stared back.

"Are we dick gazing now?" Riku asked. When he glanced between Vanitas' legs he pursed his lips and nodded.

"Not bad. I'm going to have a shower now." Then he brushed past Vanitas' shoulder and took his shampoo. Vanitas was too shocked to protest. Sora watched in awe as Riku washed his hair and body. When the boy finished, he dried with Sora's towel. Then he dressed and winked, punching Vanitas in the arm.

"Thanks for the 'poo, man. Really helped a poor fella out, there."

Then, he tugged at a wedgie and whistled his way out of the bathroom door. Vanitas, Ventus, and Sora all stared at one another. Then, with head held high, Sora followed Riku out, calling the silverette's name and tagging along at his side before he reached the end of the hall.

~X~

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 **A/N: If anything plot or character trait wise seems weird in this chapter, stay tuned! It's on purpose! Questions will be answered slowly but surely, and I will try to update faster. PLEASE review, follow, and favorite!**


	8. Playing Spy

**A/N: Thank you R12 and Jackieredfield! You guys are great T.T ! Yeah, the next couple chapters will unfortunately be quite short. I'll try to update more often. Things will get trippy in the next couple chapters, if things get too confusing, just tell me. The science drama will end when the school year begins. You'll get to see all the characters you know and love again!**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Eight_**

~X~

Sora watched Riku snort down breakfast in the grand hall as if he were watching an animal in a zoo. The silverette looked the same, spoke the same, and moved the same. But there was something unmistakably different about him.

It had been a week and a half since Riku saved him from Vanitas in the shower. And, since Sora's expulsion from the faculty bathroom, which now remained firmly locked at all times. But all was not lost. Having Riku around was like wearing a good luck charm. No one bothered Sora at all. Riku did not seem to mind the clinginess, either. In a way, he needed Sora.

The day after Riku helped Sora in the shower, Marluxia called them into his office and explained what had happened, with Axel glowering at his side. The pyro refused to meet Sora's eye, but when he glanced over the boy accidentally, his face burned redder than his hair. Sora wanted to apologize, but unfortunately, Axel did not hang around long enough to get a word in edgeways. Besides, whenever Sora caught a glimpse of him, an image of the man's lean, rather muscular naked body pierced through his brain like an arrow.

Like Sora, Riku could not remember what happened to him inside the dream pod. Unlike Sora, Riku could not even remember what happened last semester. His amnesia seemed to have spread right to the moment before they left Destiny Islands, and even the stuff beyond that was fuzzy. Sora's task was simple.

He had to help Riku remember.

Every day the pair traipsed down to the library and then to the summit to review combat. Every evening, they sat on Terra's dorm bed and read through their journals together, reminiscing every so often about their time back on Destiny Islands.

Like Marluxia explained, every student who stepped into a dream pod entered a fantasy world of his or her creation. By insane chance, Riku and Sora's minds had constructed the exact same world and the exact same plot. According to the _Jiminy Journal_ , they had been building a raft to escape their island when terrible monsters called "Heartless," sent their world flying into a portal of darkness. Sora was transported to a world called Traverse Town while Riku got stuck in a place called Hollow Bastion. From there, they went from world to world with their key blades, trying to find a way to save Kairi and bring the universe back to normal. Now, they sat in the great hall scarfing down breakfast and reading their remaining entries out loud.

"Apparently you tried to kill me and sacrificed your body to a maniac named Ansem for unlimited power. Then I defeated him and you helped me close the Door to Darkness," explained Sora as he redirected his attention to the last chapter of his _Jiminy Journal_. As Riku skimmed through his own, he commented that he sounded like a dick. Then he dipped another piece of toast into his porridge and tore into it. Sora shrugged. His brows furrowed.

"Hey, it says here that after the Door to Darkness closed, me, Donald, and Goofy- that's the dog and goose I was telling you about."

"It says here, Donald Duck."

"Duck, goose, whatever," snapped Sora. "Point is, the chapter goes on that we end up in a valley that leads to this weird castle in a field of nothingness. The last chapter is called "Descent to Castle Oblivion.""

"Tubular," Riku said. Then he burped. Sora snorted in befuddlement. The new Riku was completely inept in social situations. He burped, farted, and said whatever was on his mind as if he could not control himself. Sora was still adjusting to the idea that he was in charge of the boy's social education. For their entire lives it had been the other way around. But deep down, in the depths of his heart, though he hated admitting it, a part of Sora liked the new Riku. The silverette depended on him to survive daily life. He laughed at Sora's jokes, even said that Sora was smart sometimes. For Sora, the relationship was revolutionary. It almost made him forget the way Riku had treated him last year.

"Read here:," he blubbered in excitement, flipping to the next page and settling his finger on the first paragraph. " _"Marluxia quipped that "to find was to lose, and to lose was to find." Quickly Sora realized that he would have to sacrifice his memories to advance through the castle. He needed to talk to Naminé. She would know where his friend, Riku was."_ "

" _"Riku entered the deepest basement of Castle Oblivion like a child from a blissful dream,"_ " Riku read in response. " _"When he did, he rejoiced. He thought Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, had stolen his body for good. But here he was, different in spirit, but the same as always."_ "

" _"Sora met Riku on the topmost floor after revisiting every world he saved in his first quest into darkness,"_ " Sora said. " _"As he opened the door to the topmost floor, he gasped. There was Organization Thirteen, Naminé, and Riku, all standing together and rejoicing. Sora smiled at the sight of them. They invited him into a memory pod with Riku at his side. They would join the Organization and be heroes together after their memories were reformed. All they had to do was-"_ "

"Open the motherfucking door," finished Riku with a guffaw that attracted a frown from one of the food staff. When Sora peered down at the culmination of his journal, his eyes creased with confusion.

"So normally you remember what happened inside the pod once you get out?" asked Riku.

"That's the idea," muttered Sora.

"Lush said I'd remember more the more I read," Riku replied. Sora nodded and responded that the more of the journal he read, the more he remembered.

"My first flashback came in the electrical room," he explained. "I remembered Traverse Town like it was real. I've been reading my journal every night since I got it, and now, up to the Castle Oblivion part, I can piece it all together. It feels like all that stuff actually happened, even though we were asleep. It's like what the year could have been like in an alternate universe."

"And they do this to us to figure out if we're hero material?" asked Riku.

"Sounds over the top when you really think about it," Sora muttered.

"I guess it's like putting something in a pressure cooker," Riku shrugged. "When you're inside someone's head, you can make them do whatever you want. Takes a strong heart to find its own way."

"Hm," Sora said in worry. Suddenly he wondered if Organization Thirteen could see his old memories in addition to making new ones. Could they see when Argento told him not to trust them? Could they see what Vanitas did to him the night he went to Avenida? Not even he could remember that. As he pondered, something crept into his mind.

"You call Marluxia 'Lush'?" he asked. Riku nodded and asked why it mattered.

"No reason," Sora murmured with creased brow. "It's just that Axel called him Lush in the faculty bathroom."

"Booty," Riku drawled. "I thought everyone called him that."

"No… just Axel when he thinks no one else is around."

"Booty times two."

When Sora glanced up, he noticed Vanitas watching them from across the hall. Riku seemed to catch it too, because he snorted and shook his head.

"Dude can't stop staring at the guns," he sighed, reached his arm up and kissing his bicep. Sora gaped in embarrassment. Riku snorted more porridge before he could comment.

"You're so… different, Riku," Sora worded. Riku grinned through a mouthful of oats. His cheeks were plump and pink. For a moment, Sora got the jarring feeling that he was staring at himself.

"Question," Riku began. "Do thigh length sneakers exist?"

"I hope you're asking for a friend," Sora said in a hoarse voice. Then he changed the subject to Kairi.

"It'll be great when she's back from her summer mission," he sighed. "We can go to the beach on the North shore and buy sea salt ice cream. Roxas and I did it once before we got in the pods."

"Nah," Riku ejaculated in a jarring tone. "Kairi's old potatoes."

"Old… what?" said Sora.

"Old tater tots. She's a princess of heart. Let her do her. YOLO. Get it memorized."

"What?" Sora worded in deep confusion.

"I got a letter from her when I got out of my pod," Riku explained. "Said she was living her life. Didn't want to catch a pothole in the road of our hero journey. We're on separate tracks now. She doesn't want anything to do with us."

"What is this bullshit?" Sora snapped. As the words left his mouth, he clamped his hands over his face in surprise. He pinched himself to see if what he said had been real, bit his lip to ascertain they had come from his mouth. After apologizing, he asked to see the letter.

"Burned it," Riku chanted. Then he snorted and pushed his empty porridge bowl aside. "Axel got rid of it."

"Why would you get rid of a letter from someone you didn't remember at the time?" demanded Sora. Riku shrugged and switched the subject, announcing that he was thinking of joining Organization Thirteen.

"Oh, plus I think we've got a joint mission with Eraqus today. Hunting some mega fish on the bayou."

Sora was so off track that he had to rub his temple to get a handle on the situation. His mouth opened and closed in horrified befuddlement. He glanced at Riku to make sure he was real. Then he bit his lip and narrowed his eyes as an intriguing thought popped into his head.

"So, you're smart, Riku, right?" he asked. Riku nearly fell out of his chair. He gave Sora a knowing glance and announced that he was one of the top kiddos in their second year class. "You can get there too if we keep reviewing," he added with a wink.

"That's just what I was thinking!" beamed Sora. "Only what you said about joining the Organization is pretty tubular, and there's just one old potato that's sticking in my head."

"What," asked Riku, digging the toes of his shoes against one another in what Sora hoped was sudden ill ease.

"You know how some members only get baby missions?" returned Sora with an innocent beam. "I feel like you have to get to know the Organization before you join."

"If you're important, they'll come to you," Riku drawled.

"But what about the guy with the middle part? Blond, old, weird looking," Sora responded. "Did he just "come" to you, or did you make friends with someone? And are you and Lush bffs?"

Riku stared at Sora with a tense, plasticine expression for a moment. Then his eyes widened and closed. He pursed his lips and nodded. "I get this," he worded with a knowing sigh. "You're jealous."

Sora's heart beat hard. On sudden inspiration he lowered his head and pretended to sniffle. He felt Riku's hand rub around his shoulder like Axel had done on the pier.

"Hey buddy bud," Riku whispered. "The guy with the middle part is Vexen, and he's not a top member of the Organization. He's an old geezer scientist. Trust me, I loathe my association with him. And I heard Axel call Marluxia Lush in a meeting."

"You were at a staff meeting?" Sora gasped, heart hammering. The back rubbing stopped as Riku decided what to say next.

"Well… yeah," he started. The helium swelling his head was audible. "I'm pretty important because I'm like, a new creation. But don't worry, you are too!"

"Really?" whispered Sora. Then, feigning hopelessness, he whimpered that Riku was just lying to make him feel better.

"No, man!" Riku said. "Our time in the dream pod was like a psychedelic metaphor for our first semester at this school. All the characters you meet in the dream world are either representations of people you've met or people you're going to meet. We monitor you the whole time. But Naminé got busy and forgot about you or something, so when everyone else was waking up and she went to check on you, you were in the middle of a second dream that the Organization thinks was you telling the future!"

"You mean the part about Castle Oblivion?" Sora murmured. Had his brain been telling him to join the Organization?

"Yeah, your dream was going haywire so they had to turn the sleeping mist back on and dive in to fix it!"

"Reno told me they turned the sleeping mist off the same time as everyone else," Sora intoned.

"No, dingus, if they turned it off the same time as everyone else, you would have woken up and remembered everything!"

"Why wouldn't they want me remembering what happened at the end of the dream?" Sora breathed, adding, "am I just a freak?" in a dramatic warble. As Riku sighed and rubbed his back again, Sora asked if the Organization changed his memories about his dream in Castle Oblivion.

"They can't change memories," Riku consoled. "They just mask them."

"I wish I could talk to Naminé," Sora muttered.

"Don't go snooping, Sora," Riku warned. "Organization's set up mad security. Besides, you don't even know what you're looking for."

"I wish I was as smart as you, Riku," Sora gushed. Riku shrugged and cracked a smug grin.

"Say, did Roxas do a Key blade Inheritance Ceremony on you your first semester?" he asked. The sudden switch took Sora aback. He thought of the time he had sat in the infirmary before his expulsion, when Roxas had Ventus hold out his key blade for Sora to touch. When Ventus tried handing Sora the key blade on his own, nothing happened. When Roxas pressed against Sora, a light shone from its tip and traveled through him.

"Who was it, man?" Riku asked, leaning in with a wink. "I want to congratulate them. I honestly thought you would never wield a key blade. Guess it means anyone can get one if they want to, right?"

"Why does Roxas have two key blades?" Sora asked. Riku shrugged.

"Lush thinks someone did the ceremony on him twice."

"Huh," Sora murmured. Then he asked if two people could be given the ceremony from the same key blade at the same time.

"I'd have to know who did your ceremony first," Riku drawled.

"I held Ventus' key blade," Sora announced.

"Did light come out of it?"

"Not when I held it."

"Well, that sounds like it didn't work."

"Like I said," Sora shrugged. "I'm a freak!"

To capitalize it, Sora dived into his porridge with a cross-eyed grin. Riku did not even crack a smile. Sora blinked up at him in expectation, but the boy seemed distracted. Suddenly the memory of Axel sitting with him on the pier returned.

 _"A good spy keeps the true game a secret."_

The distracted, desperate look on Sora's reflection in the pier restaurant mirror as he read through the list of questions he wanted to ask Vanitas returned to his mind. When Sora blinked the image away, he stared into Riku's eyes as well, searching for the same anxious signs. But the boy was smiling again, asking Sora what he was thinking about. Sora shook his head. Then he chomped into his porridge, wondering what the rest of the day would bring.

~X~

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 **A/N: Next chapter will be pretty darn short! Chapter after that will be really long (I think, ha)! What the hell is going on with Sora's memories?! If you've played Chain of Memories, you probably know what's coming. Until next time, review, follow, and favorite! Your support gives me inspiration!**


	9. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**A/N: Hello again! Thank you for the reviews! If you've all been missing Roxas, get excited! The new school year starts in two chapters! In the meantime, enjoy Sora's James Bond research skills. We know he would not have even known the definition of an index if not for Roxas helping him out last year. ;) Stay tuned for more. And as usual, thanks to Jackieredfield and Guest R12 for your amazing reviews!**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Nine_**

~X~

It had been two days since Riku told Sora his memories had been tampered with. One week till school started again. Riku clutched at Sora's side nonstop. At first Sora thought it had been because of the silverette's ineptitude in social interactions. Now, as the days drew by, he worried that the boy's surveillance was really to stop Sora from asking too many questions. About now Riku was sitting in a staff meeting discussing his own amnesia. In this precious hour of freedom, Sora rifled through the library. He thought it odd that he had not been given any follow up meetings about his amnesia as well. He had tried getting Riku to spill more, but the boy turned unusually tight lipped. Sora could only wonder why. Marluxia was being especially nice lately, while Larxene grew foul. Riku's clinginess turned minatory. The more Sora spent time with him, the less he felt like he knew him at all.

He slammed several books on constitutions from all over the universe on one of the study tables at the back of the library sitting area. Then he brought out several books on universal court cases and legal claim making. The only thing he found on induced amnesia was the laminated information packet detailing the "newly patented memory pod technology" Organization Thirteen used last semester with the heading _"You have a right to know your rights concerning the second semester of your freshman year!"_ There was a chapter on pod safety, pod rights, and a retroactive pod clause enacted under the student code of conduct students signed when they accepted their place in the academy. The last page labeled the parts of the pod, including a to-scale drawing of a pudgy, smiling human model. Sora scoffed and tucked the packet under his arm, peeling through the shelves ahead for code, lock, and security cracking techniques. When he passed the fully stocked LGBQT section, he grabbed up the series on the rise of drag balls and nipped by the miniscule human sexuality and wellness aisle to see if they kept anything on sexual assault. The clunky manual was still there, but not much else. Scowling and hitching what he had under his grip, Sora lumbered towards his study table with a notebook dedicated to deciphering his _Jiminy Journal_. He had even made tabs: _Journal_ (with the sub tabs "dreams" and "day thoughts,") _Legal Claims_ , _Skills_ , and _Interviews,_ where he transcribed word for word every single thing people had told him about the Organization. To think that he, Sora Nomura, was sitting in a library hunting through legal manuals for dirt on his school and faculty, let alone constructed a _notebook_ dedicated to the subject, was an enigma. He ignored thoughts of what would happen if the notebook were confiscated.

With pen in hand, he got to work. His prime study tool was a guide called _Cheato_ by a woman named Gruntilda Winkybunion. He transitioned between it, a rune dictionary, and _The Paradox Code_ , a biography of one of the greatest alien criminals in the galaxy, written by Grand Councilwoman PAH Arhedowsowh XVI, for what felt like ions. Every hour he took a breather with the book on voguing, even practicing a few of the moves in the pictures when he was sure Aqua was not looking. Two hours in, he stood, stretched his legs, slipped his notebook into the hem of his pants, and wandered around, picking up _A History of the Key blade_ , _Magic for the Advanced Wielder_ , _A Practical Approach to the Key blade_ , _Moogle Magic_ , _A Theory of the Hero_ , and the complete student code of conduct for The Land of Departure Key blade Academy. When he teetered back with the new stack, Aqua was already hunched over his study table, thumbing through the others. Sora gasped before he remembered that his personal notebook was tucked under his shirt for safekeeping. When he returned to the desk and sidled in front of her, Aqua snorted and peered over his shoulder.

"You are really going at it, Sora," she murmured. "This drag ball book looks interesting."

"It is," muttered Sora. He shimmied his personal notebook out from his shirt when Aqua eyes drew away and set it firmly between his knees underneath the desk.

"Oh!" she gushed, snatching _A Theory of the Hero_ with shining eyes. "One of my favorites! And… an advanced title," with pursed lip she slid over _Magic for the Advanced Wielder_. Sora stopped the book in its tracks before it left the desk. When he met Aqua with a determined glance, she raised her brows and took away her hand.

"How long are you going to be here?" she asked. Sora shrugged and muttered, "Until Riku finds me."

"Do you want me to call him?" Aqua asked. Sora bit his lip. Then he sighed, "no."

"I want to do some solo studying so I can be as good as him when we practice together."

"And _Cheato_ is going to make you better at wielding a key blade?"

"These are all books you wouldn't let me check out last semester," Sora responded. Aqua's cheeks went bright red. For a few seconds she stuttered something about how Sora should not waste his time with cheat codes. Then, giving up, she huffed and sauntered back to the librarian's desk, eyeing Sora over her shoulder as she swiveled away to shred old paperwork. Sora gave himself a mental high five and continued his studies, using the index of each book to locate information on magical security. As he swept past "Moot," in _Magic for the Advanced Wielder_ , he stumbled upon _"Moogle: accounts of (56- 57, 70, 75, 200- 215,) mystery of (55, 57, 75,) and properties of (213- 214.)"_ He skimmed to page 55 and began to read.

 _"Much of the Moogle's gift lies in the art of synthesis,"_ the page began. _"Like key blades, Moogles have a knack for picking up secrets. Though all research on the Moogle is observational at this point, most experts agree that the Moogle uses its sensitive pom-pom as a lure for magical traps and protections. It is believed that the wild Moogle once used this pom-pom to seek out synthesis items hidden by otherworldly means. The modern Moogle renders this pom-pom theory practically useless, in any case, as most Moogles have traveled intragalactically, constructing a synthesis business so strong that it would prove economically disastrous to seek these items out solo when young key blade wielders provide such a steady influx. The tradition of synthesis business with humans has become so ingrained in Moogle society that the mere mention of the use of pom-pom as lure proves a source of great embarrassment."_

"Hacky, you sly dog," Sora whispered. He looked up from the paragraph in awe. Then he turned to the page 213.

 _"3. Moogles bond through the exchange of gifts. For the savvy key blade wielder bonding with a Moogle far from home, the kupo nut is a pricey but well appreciated present. Because the kupo nut is personal, its time of revelation must be planned for the desired effect- a corresponding gift of magnitude- to occur."_

Sora bit his lip as his heart pounded through his ribs. Instinctively he snatched the student code of conduct and read through it. It held the same broad principles, disciplinary authorities and procedures, and sanctions as the conduct code for his middle school in Destiny Islands. But a tiny asterisk in _'Section 8.0: Review'_ forewarned that as of that year, the new code of conduct would fuse with portions of Organization Thirteen's Affiliate Code. Sora lunged from his seat with journal in hand and flew to the computer, looking for anything on Organization Thirteen. When he finally pulled up its code of conduct and wiped the sweat from his eyes, he clapped his hand over his mouth to keep from gasping.

 _"Affiliates shall be present and subject to the construction and use of new-patented technology. Organization XIII is not legally bound to notify affiliates of implementation or construction of new-patented technology if construction of said technology occurs within a building built under Code 7865 of the 1995 Report on Urban Planning as outlined in Shinra's Constitution."_

Sora scratched his head, furrowing his brows and squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to understand the syntax of the paragraph. Affiliates. Buddies. No. A person attached to a larger body. So if the student code of conduct was fusing with the affiliate code of conduct, that meant all students were technically affiliates of the Organization. Sora swept to the next word. Present. In the same place. Subject to. Forced to undergo. Construction and use. Sora bit his lip. The pods had been used on the students. Sora swept on. Not legally bound. Not legally required. Notify. Report. Implementation. Putting into effect. Construction. Building. But the Organization _had_ told the students about the pods before they went into them. Sora moved on.

 _"Organization XIII is not legally responsible for any biological changes in affiliates, including maiming, mutation, or in extreme cases, death."_

"Death," Sora repeated in horror, wrenching the top of his nail from his thumb with his teeth. Not legally responsible for biological changes. So Sora had no legal recourse for what had been done to him or Riku. For an entire semester he had been putty in Marluxia's palms. With shaking hands he looked up "memory pod," clicking through sources until he found an article that interested him.

 _"Memory Pod™ is a registered trademark and patented invention of independent research union Organization XIII. Based off of the life work of Irma Goodneighbor, the Memory Pod™ couples power and precision into one aesthetically pleasing package. Instead of merely reliving old memories, the inhabitant can create new ones with the help of a computer interface called a Memory Chain™. Memory Chain™ technicians are highly trained individuals capable of interacting with and encouraging the limbic system in ways undreamed of! Visit your past, your present, or a world of your own creation from the comfort of your own office. A representative of Organization XIII and a Memory Chain™ technician must be present at all levels of construction and execution. Neither Organization XIII nor any affiliates or sponsors are legally responsible for any side effects including as amnesia, sleeping syndrome, or lung coating following inhalation of Sleep Mist™."_

Sora tore his hands through his hair. Why was the Organization subjecting the students to technology this dangerous? Because he was certain there would be no reviews or reports from Organization Thirteen's memory pod research, Sora went to the original creator, Irma Goodneighbor, on the computer. After scrolling through pages upon pages of experiment reports, he settled on one that froze his blood.

 _"Date: 10/8/79. TIP: 75° F. RT: 72° F. PT: 85.6° F. Patient was recovered from pod in vegetative state, limbs cold and wet to the touch. Put in ICU to recuperate."_

Sora skimmed further.

 _"Date: 12/30/79. TIP: 75° F. RT: 72° F. PT: 98.5° F. Patient regaining minimally conscious state after being returned to the pod with limbic stimulation has made a ninety percent recovery. Upon interview, patient relayed account of an extreme out of body experience where he felt himself walking within the mind of another. Patient was able to recall a name. Man described by patient brought in for questioning confirmed the presence of patient in brain activities."_

Sora read through the last chapter of his _Jiminy Journal_ , _"Descent to Castle Oblivion,"_ for the umpteenth time, biting his nails in exasperation. He had remembered all of the events leading up to it so clearly. But this chapter dripped through his mind like a fog. Why? He flipped to the _"day thoughts"_ sub tab in his personal journal and scribbled down a list.

 _"Ways OXIII gets funky with memories:_

 _1\. Adds new ones._

 _2\. Hides old ones._

 _3\. Transports you out of body._

 _4\. Unleashes subconscious._

Sora gasped and clapped his hand to his forehead, mouthing _"transports you out of body,"_ to himself. Suddenly it all made sense. Sora's wiped memories. The part in the _Jiminy Journal_ saying Riku was different in spirit. Burning Kairi's letter. Calling Marluxia "Lush." Going to meetings on his "amnesia." Talking about how he knew Naminé. The obsession with the word "booty." It was so obvious Sora had to kick himself for not figuring it out earlier.

Riku was not Riku.

"Yo, booty meister!" called a familiar voice. Sora jumped and dived behind the nearest aisle, stuffing his personal journal under his shirt while hoping the nearing footsteps would stop. To his dismay, Riku soon settled right over him.

"I've been looking for you for over two hours," the silverette said. "Why would you go to the library without me?"

"Just getting a head start on you for practice," Sora wheezed with a weak smile. Riku snorted and cocked his head in indication. "Come on, booty licker. Eraqus needs help setting the fishnets. I'm going to the bathroom and paying a visit to a friend. You've got fifteen minutes to get yourself together. See you fish side." Then he clapped Sora on the back and wandered off. Sora spent the next twenty minutes feverishly replacing every book he had checked out and attempting to delete the browser history on the public computer. Once he finished, he ducked past the librarian's desk and peeped a quick goodbye on his way out. As he bashed through the exit stairwell door and clambered up to the dorms, he glanced down the dark hallway beneath to the electrical room door. As he imagined Hacky synthesizing thunder gems in his little nook, he bit his lip. He had to get the Moogle on his side. To do that, he needed a kupo nut and time.

He was going to sneak into Marluxia's office. He was going to find his old _Jiminy Report_ , the one Marluxia printed out before Naminé edited out his real memories. But most importantly, he was going to find out what the heck Organization Thirteen did with the real Riku.

~X~

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 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed that! I tried to make it straightforward as possible. I promise the espionage won't get this intense again until the end of the first semester. Next chapter is a beast that needs editing, so don't be mad if it comes later. IN the meantime, FOLLOW, FAVORITE, and REVIEW! It means so much! If you're new to the story, too, please review! I want you guys' opinions as well!**


	10. Summer's End

**A/N: Alright, as compensation for the absurdly long wait and for the short chapters before, and even though it is already October, I grant you a behemoth of an end to Sora's summer vacation. Thanks to all the people who have stuck with this story. It's bound to get even better- I just need to find the time to upload. Keep reading, liking, favoriting, and especially, reviewing!**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Ten_**

~X~

Sora clutched Hacky to his chest in an effort to still his hammering heart. The Moogle was milking a kupo nut Sora had traded several synthesized items for at a market in the valley earlier that day. By some miracle, Sora had kept him from hacking. But the more time passed, the less likely his endured silence became. When Sora glanced towards the clock above the hall, he bit his lip and steeled his soul.

It was the eve of Reno's return. Tomorrow morning, Reno, Eraqus, and the rest of Shinra and Organization Thirteen would return from summer vacation to minister the next school year at the Land of Departure Key blade Academy. Everyone still within the building was exhausted from preparing for their arrival. Sora crossed his fingers in the hope that all lay asleep but himself. He had waited till the sound of Terra's snores pierced his ears to sneak into the electrical room. Though it had been a struggle luring Hacky out of his nest, he agreed to help Sora when he saw the pleading look in the boy's eyes and the kupo nut in his gloved hands. Sora had thrifted an outfit of complete black for the heist: pants, turtleneck, gloves, and ski mask. He pulled reinforced socks over his sneakers in order to creep soundlessly through the halls. His gloves reduced the chance of fingerprints. Now, as he stood crouched behind a trashcan outside Reno's office feeling rather badass, he waited.

Marluxia had left for bed two hours ago. Hacky had told Sora. Turned out the Moogle operated a network of tunnels running through the entire building that he used for messing with the lights and wires. But there was no harm in being certain. When Sora felt the time was right, he asked Hacky to use his pom-pom. Hacky gave a somber nod and trundled down the dark hall on two donut hole legs.

When Hacky reached Reno's office door, he felt around the handle and threshold with his little claws. His pom-pom vibrated soundlessly over his head. After ten minutes, he gestured Sora over. Sora dodge rolled all the way to the door, emptying his lock picking tools from his pockets and driving them into the handle. When the door clicked, Sora opened it and let Hacky crawl through.

"Signal me when you're ready," Sora gestured. Hacky nodded and fluttered around the office chamber. Sora waited for what felt like hours, his eyes trained like searchlights upon the empty staircase leading up from the great hall. Finally the Moogle tapped the door three times from within. Sora busted through and glanced around. Hacky emptied three destroyed bugs and wires into his lap, along with several magical devices Sora did not know the names of. Sora thanked Hacky with a kiss to the forehead and dashed on all fours to the filing cabinet drawer marked M- N. Hacky had already fiddled with the locks. Sora picked M- N easily, shoving it open and scooping out his own and Riku's files. When he got them in his hands, he spread them across the floor and flew for Reno's desk. As he stood before its smooth frame, he bit his lip in remembrance. Reno's pre vacation filing routine returned to his mind. When he went for the right lower drawer, Hacky sat on his hand and shook his head. Sora understood. There were magical devices inside the desk, as well. He bit his lip, remembering the passages from Cheato on breaking wiretaps. Then he signaled for Hacky to stand by and cracked his fingers.

Sora picked the lock as gently as he could. Right as it clicked and Sora pressed the drawer open, Hacky swooped down and attacked the wire inside. When the Moogle finished, Sora swept by and scooped up the binder labeled, _"Record Keeping."_ When he tucked it safely under his arm, he charged with it down to his and Riku's folders. Once everything was spread in a halo around his knees, he leaned forward and started to read. Riku's file was relatively small. Sora's was enormous, filled with probation meeting and mission reports, expulsion slips, teacher signatures, scathing notes on conduct, payroll information, and pod files. When Sora stumbled upon the last stack of notes, penned by Naminé Winter, he stifled the urge to eat his hat.

 _"Day 5:,"_ the file read, _"Sora has begun his vision quest into a universe I am labeling_ Kingdom Hearts _. It is a stylized version of our own universe, replete with existing worlds, creatures, and people herein. Today he met alternate versions of Yuffie Kisaragi, Squall Leonhart, Aerith Gainsborough, and a person he has never encountered named Cid Highwind._

 _Day 10: Sora has met another person he never knew in life: Alice Liddell, whom I believe may be a princess of heart. On instinct I linked Kairi, Sora, and Riku's vision quests to the same universe and plot. I think Kairi's heart connection is leading Sora to meet unknown princesses. I am making the connection stronger by linking Sora and Kairi's limbic systems into his body. I authorize Kairi's in pod status to_ vegetative state _until further notice._

 _Day 45: The fusion of Kairi and Sora's limbic systems has led us to Alice Liddell and Jasmine Abbas, two alleged princesses of heart not currently in attendance at Land of Departure Key blade Academy. I authorize their acceptance into Land of Departure Key blade Academy next year._

 _Day 100: I have forbidden_ Memory Chain _interference with Sora's dream interactions with Riku no matter how dangerous they become. I believe his heart is coming to terms with his loss of Riku's friendship. When they meet they run fevers. I have lowered the pod and room temperature accordingly._

 _Day 160: Sora and Riku have dueled for the final time; Riku handing over his body in-dream to what I believe is a manifestation of the darkness in his heart. I have styled it,_ "Ansem: Seeker of Darkness." _Sora's temperature spiked to near fatal levels. For ten minutes he regressed to vegetative state. In those ten minutes, I believe his mind retreated into Kairi's limbic system, as she regained minimally conscious state. After ten minutes, he returned to his own body with a low fever, breaking the limbic chain I forged between himself and Kairi at the beginning of the vision quest. Kairi is now in a minimally conscious state. I am no longer able to tamper with her limbic system or use her to locate princesses of heart through Sora. As of now, three alleged PoH have been located: Alice Liddell, Jasmine Abbas, and Snow White._

Sora flipped over to Day 160 in Riku's journal.

 _"Day 160: Sora and Riku have dueled for the final time. Riku handed over his body in-dream to what I believe is a manifestation of the darkness in his heart. I have styled it,_ "Ansem: Seeker of Darkness." _After the duel, Riku's temperature spiked to fatal levels. Strong dark energy in the form of black mist seeped from his pod into the room surrounding. Air vents activated to eradicate the darkness, disturbing the vision quests of surrounding pod inhabitants. I followed protocol and started in-pod ventilation, but the darkness would not dissipate. Riku's temperature fell from 110° F to 88.9° F. I turned in-pod temperature up to 100° F to compensate. Marluxia has authorized the complete limbic separation of Riku and Sora. From now on, they will never meet in-dream._

Sora flipped back to his own entries.

 _"Day 180: Sora is midway through his journey into_ Castle Oblivion _, a world I believe is a manifestation of his mental projection of worries over events to come, and his fight to save Riku from vegetative state. I was surprised to find myself present in Sora's new vision quest. Marluxia has authorized my exploitation of this development to extract information and guide Sora's hand. Sora has correctly surmised our genetic development of a puppet Riku. This_ Riku Replica _is now a regular character in his dream quest."_

 _"Day 180: Though Riku's body is still shielded from view by a blanket of darkness inside his memory pod; I am receiving images of his journey through_ Castle Oblivion _as clearly as I am Sora's. Though it took severe reprogramming to destroy the manifestation of Riku's darkness, otherwise styled_ Ansem: Seeker of Darkness _, Marluxia has authorized his deliberate reinvention to battle Riku without Sora's help."_

 _"Day 195: I have terminated Sora's vision quest through_ Castle Oblivion _and am masking his memories of the events herein on Marluxia's authorization. Under Axel's permission I am linking the code_ WAYFINDER _for the retrieval of these memories. In my exploration of Sora's memories before his time in the pod, I came across a sensitive, locked image. Should Sora read the_ WAYFINDER _code, he will remember it and everything else."_

Sora skimmed down to the bottom of the page. A drawn picture of a paopu fruit good luck charm stared back up at him, with the words WAYFINDER scrawled in blue ink beneath. As Sora read it he clutched his head.

Memories jumbled upon him like crashing waves. Faces morphed together into one monstrous being against a pulsing black sky, with thunderous voices that snaked and overlapped in a garbled, ugly speech. All of it ended with the crunch of gravel, the pounding of music, and two pools of gold. When Sora finally shook the memories off and peered at the office surrounding, he noticed Hacky had torn a hole in the arm of his black turtleneck.

"Hacky?" Sora croaked. "What are you doing?" Then he heard it.

Footsteps climbing the stairs outside the office door. With a gasp Sora scrambled up and swept the binder and folders together, dumping them back into the M- N cabinet and bottom right drawer of Reno's desk in the blink of an eye. When he noticed Hacky standing like a buffoon at the room's center, he told him to escape. Hacky shook his head. Sora whined in terror.

"Hacky, I can't lose you!" he cried. "Let me handle this on my own!"

Hacky hesitated until Sora shooed him towards the loose screws on the air vent above the desk. For a moment Sora watched with bitten nails as Hacky unscrewed the rest of it. When the Moogle finished disassembling, he let the air vent cover crash to the floor and shimmied through it into the ceiling. On instinct Sora followed him, leaping from the scalp of Reno's desk and grabbing the metal ventilation pipe as he raised himself towards it. When the office door and light slammed on and a strong hand caught him by the foot, Sora screeched. Before he could protest he was wrenched over and off the desk onto the ground. His wrists were cinched together in front of him and he was heaved upwards. Someone ripped his mask off. When he sputtered and blinked into the eyes of his captor, he gritted his teeth.

Marluxia towered over him, teeth bared in rage. When Sora whimpered, the man cracked a malicious grin and pressed him close until they were nose to nose.

"If you wanted a tour, Sora," he hissed. "You should have asked weeks ago." With that, he wrenched the ski mask into Sora's mouth and shoved him kicking and screaming through the office door, down the hall, through the exit stairwell, and to the elevators. Marluxia used his elbow to press the down button astride the sliding doors, grunting as Sora tried stomping on his foot. When the elevator opened and Marluxia dragged Sora halfway in, Sora hooked his legs around the archway outside and attempted wrenching himself away. Marluxia managed to press the lowest basement number. The doors closed. Sora had no choice but to take in his legs. As he and Marluxia tumbled against the elevator's back wall, he relaxed into the man's grip like a rag doll. Gentle elevator music played through their ten minute descension. Sora attempted pushing the ski mask from his mouth with his jaw and tongue. Marluxia sniffed and wiped his nose on his shoulder. When the doors finally opened, Sora jammed his heel into the arch of Marluxia's foot and spit the ski mask from his mouth when Marluxia let him go. As the man howled in displeasure, Sora tumbled into a hall of sterile white, a hall he had not even known existed until now.

Gasping for breath, he looked to either side of him. Then, seeing no other method of escape, he charged forward. For a few blissful moments he lunged ahead as if unstoppable. The wind from his acceleration whistled in his ears as his eyes centered on Marluxia's bent, wailing form. As Sora glanced over his shoulder, a grin plastered his face. He began turning his head, wondering if there was another elevator at the other end of the hall. Instead of making contact with a wide corridor or metal sliding doors, though, he ran smack dab into another black uniform. Two strong arms caught him by the elbows and pressed him back. When Sora looked into his new captor's face, his mouth gaped and his eyes pulsed wide.

Axel. As Sora stared at him, he felt Marluxia's shadow fall over his back. The man's hand clamped around and dug into his shoulder. Sora gritted his teeth. Marluxia bent close to his ear.

"Door to your right," he hissed. Sora stifled a groan as Axel wrenched him towards a white sliding door on his right side. After the three of them entered together, the door slid closed behind and the stark inner chamber's inhabitants glanced towards them. Standing several feet ahead was Larxene. Hunched before a tiny Memory Chain computer with Riku at her side, sat Naminé. When Sora stepped forward, she glanced up at him and gasped.

"Wh- what, why," she started. Then her face glowed with excitement. "Did WAYFINDER work?" she chirped.

As Sora attempted a response, Marluxia reached for a stray soda can on a white lab table by the memory pod's side and pinged it at Namine's head, harrumphing as she yelped and ducked. Then, grabbing up a stool and grasping Sora's collar, he shoved seat and boy towards Naminé's feet and told Axel to hold his hands. Sora screeched in defiance. Axel wrenched Sora's arms behind his back and clamped them together with strong wrists. Sora curled back his head and glared into Axel's eyes. Axel ignored him. The sound of swiveling metal wheels circled towards them. When Sora looked down, he noticed Marluxia wheeling towards his knees in stately strides. When the rosette situated himself, he grabbed Sora mid thigh and squeezed. Sora winced. Marluxia extended his hands.

"Welcome to Organization Thirteen!" he cried. Somewhere behind, Riku clapped and cheered. When no one joined in, his raucous celebration died to nothing. There was a sniff. A loud cough. Then silence. Sora glanced into each of his captors' faces in befuddlement. When nothing informative reflected within, Sora bared his teeth and stomped his foot. Larxene snorted. Axel glanced towards a crack in the wall. Naminé pursed her lips. Sora demanded to know what happened to the real Riku.

"I'm the real Riku, booty meister!" the not-Riku called from the other end of the room. Sora ignored him and stared into Marluxia's shallow blue eyes.

"What did you do with Riku's brain?" Sora's voice quavered.

"I will answer any questions you have after you sign this contract," Marluxia responded in a chirp. When he snapped, Larxene scowled and shuffled around the lab table behind for a stack of papers. Once she handed the pile over, Marluxia rested it in Sora's lap and thumbed through each page, tapping several circled signature boxes along the way. Just as the sound of shifting paper and tapping skin proved unbearable, he chuckled and shook his head.

"I regret that your induction into our company's folds had to happen in this way," he sighed. "But I'd venture to say being dragged into a bright room after theft of private documents and vandalism of a school official's office is ample retribution."

"What happened to my friend?" Sora insisted. Again, Marluxia ignored him.

"To think, had I not remembered I left my throat lozenges on top of the A-C cabinet, I might never have discovered your plot," he said. "I shall marvel at your feat for years to come. Next time I'll trust Axel when he tells me a student is intelligent, even if the student masquerades as a twat."

As Marluxia snorted, Sora glanced up at Axel again. The redhead shrugged unapologetically. A sly grin broke across Marluxia's cheeks as he nudged the man in the ribs.

"Until Axel's insistence on your genius, I thought you were nothing but a little twit," he sang. "An enticing little twit, but excruciatingly dim nonetheless. I readily admit I was wrong. As Naminé showed me more and more of your memories, I often wondered what changed you at the end of your first semester to make you into the boy you are today. I'd say that you know yourself better than anyone else, but as I recall, Naminé dug up a few rather strange images forlorn deep in the folds of your conscious. I suppose it is these little pushes in our lives that force us to grow up."

 _"Grow up."_

Vanitas' words echoed in Sora's mind. The memory of cold, salty air mixed with rubber, alcohol, piss, and smoke. The creak of a sliding metal door. Crunching gravel. A warm body. The taste of water and the snap of an apple's broken skin. The sensation of peeing on the side of a rusting steel wall. Talking in a slur about Riku. Being kissed. Kissing back. Being shoved to the ground. The sting of sharp stone on skin. The glow of two golden pools with black teardrops at the center. Wearing a skirt hiked up to the waist. The feeling of a cold hand. The trail of a finger. A burning, piercing sensation.

Instinctively Sora's legs cinched together. He shut his mouth and stared at his knees, running his tongue over his teeth behind closed lips. It was as if every bit of moisture within him had been sucked out. His throat itched. His mouth ran dry. He coughed. When he chanced a glance into Marluxia's eyes, he shrunk. A grin draped across the rosette's features. Sora's shoulders sagged as he glanced towards everyone else. None but Axel met his eye. Had all of them known except for him?

"What did you do to Riku?" Sora's voice echoed in his head. As he forced himself back to reality, he shoved the old nightmares from his mind. Marluxia pressed the contract further up Sora's lap. Sora bucked it away with his hips and screeched that he would not sign a page until he got answers. As Naminé pressed her fingers over her ears and Riku stared on with a dumb glance, Larxene hissed for Sora to hush as Marluxia bent close at his elbow.

"Sora, I like you," he insisted. "But we are down to brass tacks. I am giving you a choice. Become a member of Organization Thirteen and be told everything you want to know within the next five hours, or be given a spiritual lobotomy by my dear assistant Naminé."

"A lobo-what?" snapped Sora. His trips to the library had not stretched his grasp on the english language that far.

"She'll wipe your memories," Larxene drawled. Sora snapped towards Naminé with a gape. When he stared her down, she avoided his gaze and picked the skin surrounding her nails. In disbelief Sora ogled at the white walls encasing him, wondering why he had ever wanted to be a hero in the first place. Everything wrong in his life had started the moment he set foot off Destiny Islands. With teary eyes and a final glance of desperation, he whispered Naminé's name. She winced at the sound of his voice.

"Please," he begged. "I just want to know what happened to my friends. I have the right to know."

Naminé bit her lip as she hesitated. Marluxia rose to standing. When he shoved the contract under Sora's nose again, Naminé balled her hands into fists and screeched, "alright!"

Marluxia and Larxene turned to Naminé in shock. Naminé's eyes blinked wide with fear. With a deep breath she murmured that Sora did have a right to know.

"You have to promise me that you will sign this form if I tell you," she amended with a glance of terror. "Please promise."

Sora pursed his lips. He had never been good with ultimatums. As he looked from the memory pods, to his surrounding enemies, to the white room shackling him, he decided there was really no choice at all. Finally, he caved and muttered that he would sign. Naminé's shoulders fell with relief. Marluxia sighed. Axel let go of Sora's arms. Sora folded his hands in his lap, waiting as Naminé tiptoed to a stark white filing cabinet at the back of the room and pulled out a booklet marked _Complete Account of Universe Kingdom Hearts_. When she dropped the massive spiral booklet into Sora's lap, he glanced up at her in awe. She pointed to the cover.

"It's all in there," she murmured. "The complete, unabridged _Jiminy Journals_ of you, Kairi, Riku, and Ventus."

"Ventus?" whispered Sora. Naminé nodded. "His vision quest occurred in the same fantasy universe as yours. Only the timing was off. Ten years off."

"So Ventus remembered a quest set ten years in the past of the universe I was in?" Sora confirmed. Naminé nodded.

"You must have made an impression on him," she chuckled. "Or he, you. People don't just decide to dream up the same place."

"Where's Riku's brain?" asked Sora.

"Which one?" asked Naminé. Riku stepped to her side, fidgeting his toes.

"The one belonging to the Riku I left Destiny Islands with!" shouted Sora.

"That Riku is gone," responded Naminé. When Sora failed to reply, she continued, "On Day 170 of his vision quest, dark matter bubbled from the skin of Riku's chest and engulfed him. His body was hidden, but we still received memories from his limbic system. On Day 195 the memories stopped. When we opened the pod, Riku was gone."

Sora opened and shut his mouth in confusion. He stared from Naminé to the Riku standing at her side. How could there be two of the same person?

"This Riku is a puppet created by the leading scientist of Organization Thirteen's cloning program, Vexen," Naminé anticipated.

"Howdy," the Riku replica greeted with a sheepish wave of his hand. Sora blinked at his silver hair. His sharp teal eyes. The curve of his eyebrows. His grin. His soft pale skin. Though the whole idea seemed absurd, Sora believed it. In a way, he had known it from the moment he noticed the replica speaking with Vexen outside the electrical room. He had so hoped for the real Riku. As disappointment crushed him, he managed to ask where the real Riku was.

"We have no idea," responded Naminé in a whisper. "We believe he opened a portal of darkness inside the memory pod that transported his body into an unknown location."

"A portal of who-ha?" snapped Sora.

"It's complicated magic," responded Larxene. "Riku is now a Class B Fugitive of the State."

"Meaning we'll find him!" beamed Naminé.

"We can give you the tools to help us, Sora," Marluxia added, filtering the contract back to his hands. "There's so much you don't understand. None of this must make any sense to you, but it will! Friends have a habit of coming back to us when we search for them in the right way. Just think of how easy it was for us to use Kairi to locate more princesses of heart."

Sora wiped tears from his eyes. "It sounds like you killed my best friend and I can't do anything about it," he whimpered. Naminé's shoulders sagged. Larxene rolled her eyes. Axel gazed towards the clock above the pod room's entrance door with a narrowed glance.

"I know it sounds hopeless, Sora," Marluxia intoned. "But what other choice do you have? And what other choice would you want? Deporting yourself to Destiny Islands for the rest of your life? Think of all the places you could go, the worlds you could see! Riku is out there, somewhere! You saw a shadow of the universe's breadth inside your memory pod, an invention that lead to the retrieval of all seven princesses of heart in the span of several weeks! Do you know how revolutionary that is? If we can find seven girls out of a universe of millions, think of what we can locate with more refined techniques!"

"Will the rest of the school know what really happened to Riku?" Sora asked.

"No," responded Larxene. "No one connected to Xehanort or Shinra can know."

Sora pursed his lips and took one last glance around the room. Then, sighing, he clutched the stack of papers in his hands and asked for a pen. Marluxia extracted one from the pocket of his jacket in the blink of an eye. As Sora read through the first page and moved to sign his name in the circled boxes, he asked why Riku's real whereabouts had to be kept a secret. Marluxia glanced towards Axel and Larxene with a satisfied smile. When he patted Sora's shoulder, he chuckled, "I don't want them losing our trust."

"Little late for that, Marluxia," called a nasal, singsong voice from over Sora's shoulder. Sora glanced around to see if Axel had suddenly moved. But the redhead remained directly behind him, staring him down with a sly grin. Sora furrowed and glanced further back, trailing his gaze from the white marble floor to the pair of patent leather clad feet standing over the threshold of the open chamber door. When his gaze moved from patent leather, to black slacks, to baggy zip up blazer, to green feline eyes, he gasped.

Leaned against the frame of the door with a dozen Shinra suits and the rest of the Organization flanking the hallway behind him, was Reno Flynn. When Marluxia caught his eye, the rosette blubbered like a goldfish. His face crinkled with a plastic grin.

"You- you're back early!" he squeaked. The color drained from his face. The whispering snarl he gave Axel was palpable.

"You- you double agent!" he hissed under his breath.

"Now, don't blame my brother for your stupidity, Lush," Reno drawled as he waltzed forward. "I just like getting back early."

Marluxia's face transformed from white to green. Reno slipped a court summons from his breast pocket and set it in the rosette's hands. Then, he rattled off the man's rights as four other Shinra members gathered around him. Another four surrounded Larxene, and another four, Naminé and Riku. Axel kept Sora clamped firmly in his swiveling white chair. When one of the Shinra suits wrenched Naminé by the arm, Sora stood and called for them to stop. When he attempted following the suits and their captives out of the pod room door, Axel stopped him and held him back until the only people left inside were himself, Reno, Sora, and a man with orange gold eyes and long blue hair. Vexen's terrified voice rang down the hall, demanding that no one touch the Riku replica without his approval. When the shouts and demands disappeared through the elevator in the hall outside, Reno rubbed his eyes, sighed, and smacked Axel a high five.

"Couldn't have done it without you, bro," he sighed. "You got tapes?"

Axel nodded and brought out a tiny black cube on the palm of his hand. When he pressed a button at its side, it played Marluxia's previous conversation. Reno grinned as he picked it up. Then he brought Axel in for a hug. When he was finished, he dangled the recording device before Sora's eyes and winked.

"Trust Axel to look after things, Sora!" he sang, snatching the device away when Sora attempted reaching for it. It was soon safe within the redhead's pocket. He sighed and shook his head. "You get assigned to a fucker for an entire summer and he slips up the week you leave for Costa Del Sol. I've never appreciated you telling me to get lost more, bro."

"Lush is careful until he thinks he's smarter than you," sighed Axel, giving Sora a wink. Though Sora did not quite know what to think, he could not help but smile.

"Onto business," sighed Reno with a clap. "What to do with him."

"Trial," responded Axel. "All of them."

"What's your professional opinion, doctor?" quipped Reno in an amused way. Axel snorted and shrugged.

"Lush was on a personal vendetta against Riku for Sice's expulsion."

"You think he wanted to gain control of the Organization?" asked Reno. Behind them, the man with the blue hair and orange eyes chuckled. Axel shrugged. "It's not illegal to want a promotion," he said. "But he did have Naminé tamper with Sora's memories unauthorized."

"Were Naminé and Larxene accessories?" asked Reno.

"Larxene was. I enlisted Naminé's help the week after you left. For crimes before that, she can argue coercion."

"Zexion, Vexen, and Lexaeus?"

"Unaware of specific tampering with memories, but aware of Riku's disappearance. Vexen was working on the cloning to begin with. Any excuse to further his research he would have ran with, besides his fear of demotion should he fail."

"And the replica?"

"As far as I can tell, he did nothing he was criminally aware of."

"Sora?"

"Me?" snapped Sora. Axel grinned.

"Well, breaking and entering," he explained. Then he winked. "But all in the name of justice."

"I was trying to find information," Sora snapped. When Reno asked how he did it, Sora hesitated, muttering that he was good at lock picking.

"Should have guessed from your midterm performance," Reno responded. When Sora blushed Axel gave a throaty laugh. Reno patted them both and glanced towards the clock with a whistle.

"Two uncovered plots, one damsel in distress, seven arrests, and not even dawn," he sighed. Sora grinned and asked who the damsel in distress was. Reno snorted and said it was him.

"Me?" Sora cried in horror. Axel threw back his head and laughed. Reno winked and waved, telling Sora he may be called in as a witness to the faculty trial. Sora acquiesced. Reno glanced towards the door.

"Well," he sighed. "I shouldn't leave them waiting too long. I expect you two want a moment," he added, turning from the blue haired man to Axel with a pointed glance. Before he left he gave Sora one last pat on the shoulder. When Sora gazed up at him, he winked.

"Axel stood in your corner quite a bit this summer," he murmured. "You have a lot to thank him for."

Sora glanced towards Axel in surprise. A hint of a blush graced the redhead's cheeks. Glancing from the blue haired man to Axel with a grin, Reno called a final farewell and disappeared down the hall. The pair of Organization employees remaining watched him go in silence. When Reno's footsteps died to nothing, the blue haired man turned to Axel and asked for a copy of Marluxia's conversation. Axel muttered an answer Sora could not hear. When he broke away, the blue haired man asked if he was coming to Xemnas' preliminary meeting. Axel pursed his lips and glanced towards Sora with a frown. Then he turned to the blue haired man and shook his head.

"No offense, Saïx," he sighed. "But I think I deserve an hour's vacation."

"Are you going to speak with Sora?" Saïx asked. Axel nodded. Saïx returned the favor. Then he reached up and squeezed Axel's shoulder, murmuring that he would see him after dawn. After his hand fell to his side, he turned to Sora and gave a curt bow.

"Sora Nomura?" he intoned. Sora snapped to attention and nodded. A grin tugged at Saïx's cheek as he dipped his head. "I look forward to meeting you officially this semester."

"Likewise," Sora murmured. Saïx gave Axel a final goodbye and disappeared through the door as well. For a moment Axel and Sora watched the empty hall. Then, Axel turned and asked if he wanted to sit in the forecourt. Sora shrugged and followed him out.

After taking the exit door by the elevators, circling around the side of the school near the maze, and sauntering over the mosaic in dusk, they leaned against the wall beside the archway to the mountain path and folded their arms before them to guard from the chill. Their breath billowed before them against the pre morning dew like smoke. As they sat in silence, Axel chuckled.

"Safe to say this is the weirdest summer vacation of your life?" he asked. Sora nodded and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion.

"For a minute there I felt helpless," he sniffed. Axel pursed his lips and shrugged, apologizing for leaving Sora in the dark for so long.

"Reno's return had to be a complete surprise," he insisted. "Otherwise Lush might have opened a portal of darkness and escaped."

Sora nodded like he knew what Axel meant. He kneaded his hands together in deep thought.

"Would I have been able to change the way this school works if I'd joined the Organization?" he asked. Axel snorted and glanced around. "Off the record?" he whispered, "There are better ways."

Sora sniffed and wiped his nose. "Maybe with Marluxia gone the academy will get better," he tried.

Axel harrumphed and shifted his other leg. A gentle mist was settling around the valleys, rendering everything below the mountain path invisible. Sora glanced over the forecourt edge and traced stars around the stone. Then he asked if Axel knew all along what Vanitas had done to him. Axel blinked in surprise. He shook his head. Sora glared at him in suspicion until the man rolled his eyes.

"I knew something happened as soon as it did," the redhead muttered. "I told you I heard rumors from other kids saying you went out back together at a party. Seemed out of character for you. Didn't hear anything else until midway through your vision quest. Marluxia kept mentioning some memory with Vanitas."

"He never told you what it was?" asked Sora. Axel snorted and gave him a knowing glance.

"Don't you remember anything I taught you?" he asked. Sora blushed and shrugged. Axel sighed. "Marluxia likes holding information over people's heads. And Naminé never told me when I asked her."

"Honest?" Sora demanded. "You don't know what happened at all?"

Axel shrugged, murmuring that all he could do was guess. Sora bit his lip in contemplation. Then he sat back.

"He, uh…" he mumbled. "He kissed me. And then…" Sora held his fore and middle finger up together. "And then, just, his fingers..." He stared at his hand with narrowed glance, running over the grooves of his fingerprints with his palm. Then he let his hands disappear into his lap, rubbing them as if rubbing away dark stains. "I said... no," he added in a mutter.

"Oh," Axel blinked. His eyes widened in realization. Sora covered his face in embarrassment at the ensuing silence.

"I guess it's... hardly anything now," he croaked. "All of a sudden it seems stupid when I say it out loud, but I... I can't..."

When Sora whimpered Axel reached out his hand and patted him on the back. Sora scooted towards him. Axel sighed and rubbed his shoulders in circular motions like he had done on the pier. Sora started to cry. Axel pursed his lips. Then he murmured that he was sorry.

"I really didn't know what actually…" he trailed off.

"Do you think things like that make people smarter?" Sora asked. Axel reeled back and scoffed. When Sora reasoned that, "Marluxia said," Axel interjected that Marluxia was a poison.

"You don't get smart because someone hurts you," Axel insisted. "You get smart because you want the best for yourself. And the best for your friends..." As his voice fizzled to nothing, he ran his fingers through his fire red hair and asked Sora if he could hug him. In surprise Sora nodded. Axel scooted until their sides touched. Then he wrapped his arms around Sora and gave him one of the tightest hugs the boy had ever received. As the sweet smell of Axel's skin and hair brushed against the tip of Sora's nose, his heart fluttered. The man's arms were much bigger than his own. His skin was hot. Sora shut his eyes and nuzzled his face into the groove of the man's neck, willing his beached whale breath not to interrupt. All of a sudden he had the terrible urge to press himself as closely to his professor as possible. But as soon as he wished it, the hug was over, and Axel broke away. Sora blinked in surprise, shivering as what once had been sheathed in warmth was blasted with cold morning air. Axel chuckled and shifted from side to side. Sora asked for the time. Axel muttered that it was near three in the morning.

"Pretty soon everyone will be arriving for their next year of hero school," he drawled.

"Everyone except Riku," Sora muttered. Axel's smile faded. He pursed his lips.

"We're going to find him," he reassured. "I promise."

"How can I trust you?" Sora asked. Axel scoffed.

"Never trust me," he said. "Trust the Organization's need. They need to find Riku. If they don't, they're in trouble. He's one of the most powerful students going here, and he's missing because of them."

"Where did Kairi go on her mission?" asked Sora. Axel bit his lip. Then he grinned.

"Well…" he sighed. "Maybe it's best if she tells you."

"Tells me what?" asked Sora. But Axel shook his head. Voices welled up from the great hall. One of them sounded like Eraqus. A young girl's voice warbled with the rest.

"Will Naminé be okay?" Sora asked.

"She'll be fine," returned Axel. "She's taking classes next year, you know. That was one of her conditions."

"She… she's taking classes?" Sora breathed.

"Yup," responded Axel. "She'll be in the year below you."

Sora blushed madly, muttering, "oh." Then he bit his lip.

"I think… I think I like her," he whispered. Axel laughed and leaned back, murmuring that she would be on campus if Sora ever felt like telling her. Then he narrowed his eyes and asked how Sora broke through all the security in Reno's office.

"Well, I didn't," Sora responded. "He caught me."

"When did you go in there?" Axel asked. Sora pursed his lips as he thought, settling on, "about eleven forty five."

"You were in there for an hour and a half before anyone came near you," Axel drawled. "By all rights you should never have gotten in in the first place."

Sora begged with his eyes for Axel not to pry. When the red head saw his expression, he snorted and asked if it involved a Moogle. The color left Sora's face. Axel clapped his hands.

"You used the Moogle in the electrical room to break into Reno's office? By gods…"

"If you hurt Hacky, I'll kill you," Sora warbled in desperation. Axel stared at him. Then he burst into laughter. When Sora asked what was so funny, Axel grinned.

"I finally understand," he murmured. "What you meant in your interview when you said your friends were your strength."

"Friendship is important," Sora returned. Axel chuckled and rubbed at his eyes. Then he asked Sora to do him a favor.

"Don't join the Organization," he intoned. When Sora asked why, Axel said it was not his place to say.

"Just know I'm looking out for a friend," he said. "I'm trying that compassion thing you're so fond of." As Axel chuckled, Sora nodded to himself. When the redhead glanced down at his watch, he whistled.

"About three ten," he muttered. "Reno will be hosting an emergency trial before five, if I know him at all. I expect you'll need to be there. Want me to get you something to carry you through?"

"Like drugs?" said Sora.

"No. Like eggs from the kitchen," Axel responded.

"Oh," muttered Sora with a blush. He nodded and said he would come in with Axel. The red head told him he would be happy to wait on him if he wanted a moment alone. Sora decided it was best that way. Axel patted him on the shoulder and told him he would meet him outside the great hall. As he trudged back to the school, Sora glanced over the grounds in sadness. The places where Axel's breath and body had touched him warmed. He hugged himself to stop from shivering.

He had a feeling it was going to be a strange year.

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~X~

 **End of Part One**

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 **A/N: Part two will come as soon as it is able. Hope you enjoyed Sora's summer vacation. Now to the business of the new school year! Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed so far. Your devotion keeps me writing! (lol) As Sora stated, it's going to be a strange, interesting year for him!**


	11. Old Friends

**A/N: Here's** **another chapter! I can't believe it's already mid November! Time really flies when you're busy. I'm still trucking through my education, and work, so forgive this slowness. Please continue to follow, favorite, and review. The more support, the faster chapters go up! Rest assured that posts will increase come my winter vacation! Thanks for your support, and read on!**

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~X~

 **Part Two**

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 _ **Chapter Eleven**_

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Sora glanced down at his junior schedule with a pen as a pointer. LGBTQ on Monday and Thursday, History Club on Tuesday and Friday, Biology Club on Wednesday and Saturday, and Culture Club Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday as well. He had also signed down for 7 am yoga classes, because he was crazy. Students were not required to fill their schedules with four clubs until the second semester of their second year. Since Sora had been doing it since year one because of probation, he thought he might as well make it a habit. Combat went from 9 to 12 and Magic lasted from 1 to 4 every Monday through Friday. Sora heard rumors that they were finally learning how to synthesize, which meant building relationships with the Moogles in the valley. Sora felt quite smug about the arrangement, as he had built a relationship with one of the oldest Moogles in the Land of Departure and happened to bring him synthesis items to practice with constantly. Hacky had already constructed him several bangles and earrings Sora did not know the use of. But they were gifts and they looked very beautiful, which was what mattered most. Near the bottom of Sora's schedule form, at the side of the combat and magic class sections, was an asterisk stating, "subject to change."

Sora could not help but stare down at the empty space where "probation officer meeting" should have been with pride. Every evening after 7 pm he was now free as a bird. Well, almost free, as he had signed down for another semester of working in the library and tidying the garden. Lexaeus had just recently broken into his old dorm room to retrieve his belongings. Because the administration could not find his old key in the valley they were casting an entire new lock for the door, meaning Sora's old room would be roped off for maintenance for the larger part of the semester. He had to be assigned a new dorm. The assignment and contract had been sent three days before the first day of term. Now, as Sora opened the letter containing it again while he set his schedule to the side, the same flutter of joy and groan of irritation left his lips.

He had gotten the Riku Replica. Reno, Axel, and anyone else involved in the summer fiasco that could get their hands on him had pleaded with him to be the puppet's babysitter. As was well known by now, Riku the replica acted nothing like Riku the real, absent human being. Sora was tasked with turning him into a passable fake as soon as possible. His other roommate, to his steep surprise, was Roxas. When Sora asked Axel what he needed to hide from Roxas, Axel said the honey blond had been told everything. The relief that washed over Sora when he heard those words was life changing. He expected Roxas had been put in with him and the replica to preserve Sora's sanity. After being bound like a magnet to Riku Replica for half the summer, Sora needed someone relatively normal, or at least more "normal" than himself, to carry him through the year.

With a hum of excitement, he flitted back to his club syllabi. His summer homework for LGBTQ was to develop a presentation on an iconic member of the LGBTQ community. Sora had been practicing voguing nonstop, so he figured he would start there. Coco also wanted ten activism and fundraising ideas for next semester. The history teacher wanted nothing; biology wanted a list and descriptions of plants and animals native to each student's home world, and the culture club wanted a list of native dishes and recipes. Sora had given them all the best he could. As he looked up another vogue battle on the computer, a hand fell on his shoulder and made him yelp and snap his gaze up. Two dazzling blue eyes stared down at him. When he blinked, he realized they belonged to Terra. It looked like he was holding a schedule and packet of homework assignments as well.

"Terra, I thought you graduated last year!" Sora barked. Terra shrugged and said that he had. Then he waved his paperwork and grinned.

"I'm applying with Aqua for the Mark of Mastery. I was going to ask if I could use your computer."

Sora blinked before giving a feverish nod and clicking out of the video streaming window he had pulled up. He watched over Terra's shoulder as the boy sat down and followed the paper instructions for getting on Shinra's registration database. When Sora reeled in confusion, Terra muttered that you had to register and be approved before taking the exam. Once Terra finished sending in his information, he went to another web form called "Galactic Federation Weapon Registration," and retyped his personal information.

"Everything is digital these days, you know?" he muttered.

"What date is the exam?" asked Sora.

"October 31th," Terra responded. "9 a.m. sharp. Be fifteen minutes early for your appointment with all paperwork ready to hand in to appropriate proctors." Then he winked. Sora smiled. He could tell Terra was nervous. Once Terra finished filling everything out, he thanked Sora for lending him the computer and asked what he was looking up.

"Stuff for LGBTQ," responded Sora in a distracted mumble. He had returned to his study of an intense vogue battle under a file marked, _"Twilight Town: Twilight Lounge Drag Ball,"_ gasping occasionally at the sick moves. After it finished he looked up another from La Cité des Cloches. Behind him, Terra snorted.

"Still in that club?"

Sora gave him a defiant look and said yes. Terra held up his hands and chuckled. "You're brave, after last year's drag show. I've heard rumors of a spike in membership. How many people were in it last year?"

"Eight," Sora mumbled. He did not tell Terra that that included Coco, their instructor, and Nao and Sota, two students who had left before the end of their first semester. Terra nodded. Then he wished Sora good luck and wandered back through the library's musty, peeling entrance. After Sora made certain he had left, he pulled out his personal notebook and flipped to the sub tab labeled "day thoughts."

 _"Shinra in charge of "Mark of Mastery","_ he wrote. _"Key blade has to be registered as a weapon with Galactic Federation before exam takes place. Look up what Mark of Mastery is."_

Sora nibbled his lip. Then he researched jobs available to key blade masters. All that came up in the database was Shinra's Research development webpage and advertisements for locksmiths. Sora decided to go with the research development article. When he scrolled through it, he stumbled upon a picture of Argento.

 _"Shinra Weapons Development and Science Department leaders Scarlet Red and Paul Hojo, independent research facility Organization Thirteen, and Eraqus Makio, Headmaster of the Land of Departure Key blade Academy, form a revolutionary, interworld bond to pool resources in the study of the mysterious and ancient summon weapon, "key-blade." Argento the Silver, Tsviet and head of the Key blade Department at Shinra, is on temporary leave and should return the 29th of December."_

Sora's eyes twinkled as he imagined Argento monster hunting in Agrabah with Sice. When he looked at his watch, he gasped. It was already seven thirty. He would miss the first-day-of-term eve dinner in the grand hall if he were not careful. Quickly he gathered his books together, clicked out of his account on the public computer database, and sidled through the entrance hall to the exit stairwell. On his way up to the second floor, he heard footsteps dashing towards him. When he turned around, Axel Flynn, his former probation officer, accosted him.

"Sora," the man gasped. Sora gulped. For some reason, his heart lurched every time he heard the man's voice. The lurches had been happening ever since Axel hugged him the day Reno returned. It was a confusing feeling. As Sora pushed it down, Axel cocked his head for Sora to follow him. Sora obeyed, jumping when Axel's arm fell around his shoulder.

"Could you come to Reno's office really fast?" he gusted.

"Do you have an update on Riku's location?" Sora gushed. Axel's mouth twitched up before he muttered, "no."

"But Roxas is in there," he continued. "And I think it's serious."

"Roxas?" Sora gasped, tripping over his feet. His heart twisted through his chest as a picture of Roxas sprawled across the office floor in dire pain trundled through his mind. Axel shrugged.

"Combination of jet lag, motion sickness, and something else," he muttered. "He came directly from Twilight Town. He's been moaning your name for hours, but we couldn't find you."

"I was in the library!" Sora whimpered, rushing ahead of Axel at breakneck speed for Reno's office. "I was looking up voguing!" he added in woe. Axel did not even get a chance to ask what "voguing" was. Sora was so far ahead of him the boy could barely hear him when he bellowed for him to slow down. Crashing through the stairwell exit and whizzing up to the familiar door with the white paper blocking the window inside, Sora thought he heard muttered chattering inside. For a terrifying moment, he weighed the odds that Axel had led him into a trap. Then he heard the familiar cough of Hacky the Moogle and gasped. It was now or never. Sora kicked the door open and barreled into Reno's office with his key blade drawn.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HACKY?" he screeched as he lunged towards the room's bottom step. When he saw what was waiting for him, his mouth fell open in confusion.

Banners reading, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SORA!" plastered the walls. Everyone except Hacky sported some form of party attire; whether a hat, clown nose, lei, or kazoo. The Riku replica had all of these clothing items draped around his torso in multiples. As he balanced two kazoos on either side of his lips, he explained to Naminé what he was going to do when Sora walked in. Once Naminé tapped his shoulder and told him to look forward, one of the two kazoos fell from his mouth and pattered down the concrete steps.

"Aw, fuck nuggets," the replica complained. Then he blew a sorry note into his remaining kazoo and shouted, "SAY HELLO TO YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS!"

As Sora looked on the crowd surrounding, and particularly the replica, in confused awe, Axel barreled in behind him gasping for breath.

"What happened to telling us when he got close?" snapped a familiar voice from the top of the room's wide steps. When Sora glanced up, he nearly rocketed out of his shoes.

Roxas sat with his feet crossed and propped against Reno's desk. He wore a lei, bit a kazoo, and sprouted three party hats like colorful, glittering horns from between the tufts of his golden hair. Besides looking tired and grumpy, he seemed fine. He certainly was not moaning Sora's name. When Sora glanced to Axel for an explanation, the man recovered from the stitch in his side enough to shout, "surprise!"

"But… why?" asked Sora in befuddlement.

"Cause we're celebrating your birthday, booty licker!" barked the replica. Axel held up his hand and warned for him to calm down. When the replica scowled and sat at the edge of Reno's desk in a huff, the rest of the room's inhabitants shouted "SURPRISE!" Then they popped crackers and threw streamers at Sora's head. When he batted paper and glitter from his cheeks, he stared around each face with growing excitement.

Reno, Roxas, Kairi, Naminé, Riku replica, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Hacky, Belle, Aurora, Cloud, Leon, Hercules, Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, Neku, Joshua, Cinderella, a girl with almond shaped, chocolate brown eyes and bronze skin, a boy that looked startlingly like Axel, another with short blue hair and eyes like Riku, and a girl with skin as white as snow beamed down at him from the top steps. Axel set his hand on Sora's shoulder, winked at him, and asked whom he wanted to meet first. Sora shrugged and jumped up and down. Reno laughed as he sauntered towards them, holding his arms out to give Sora a hug. Sora barreled in and squeezed so tight Reno nearly lost his breath. As the man patted and rubbed his back, Sora glanced up at him with a grin.

"Alright, love birds, break it up," the replica boomed from the side of the desk.

"Would you shut up, you twat?" snapped Roxas in return, nearly knocking the replica from his seat from shock.

"Now, now, Roxas," warned Reno as he spirited Sora up the steps under his arm. "We treat our fellow students with respect."

"Yeah. Respect," responded the replica in a vaguely threatening way. The other kazoo fell from his mouth to the floor. Roxas gave him a dull glance as he rubbed exhaustion from his eyes.

"Who wants food?" asked Axel. Everyone raised their hands and clambered down to the cracks in the wall where a blackboard had once hung, where two fold out tables had been set up with potluck dishes. Sora could not believe he had not noticed them when he first entered. He could usually sniff a good eat a mile away. After grabbing a plate for himself, he went from one person to the next, saying hello and asking how everyone was doing. Axel helped him with the people he did not know, whispering their bios into Sora's ear a few moments before they made their way towards him.

"Snow White and Jasmine Abbas," he muttered, pointing from the pale girl with ruby lips to the bronze girl with almond shaped eyes. "Potential princesses of heart you met in your vision quest."

"Who's that kid?" Sora asked, pointing to Axel's young lookalike.

"Oh, that's just Reno's little cousin," responded Axel. Sora's brows furrowed.

"Aren't you and Reno brothers?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"So… doesn't that make the kid your cousin, too?"

"Okay, so he's my cousin," snapped Axel in irritation. Sora grinned and said that the kid was handsome. "You two could practically be twins!" he added. When he realized what he had said, the color left his face. He snapped to face Axel. The man was grinning slyly down at him.

"If I didn't know any better," Axel chuckled, "I'd think you said Axel and handsome in the same sentence."

"I- I didn't mean that," Sora gulped. Axel laughed. "I get it. It's the teardrops, huh? Throws everything off?"

"No," Sora muttered, his cheeks going fire red. "You're aye-okay just the way you are." He gave Axel an absentminded pat on the shoulder. After several more awkward moments of silence he coughed and added that he was going to talk to everyone else.

"Stupid," Sora muttered under his breath as he trudged away. Before he could get to Naminé, the Riku replica assailed him with a bear hug and a loud snarl. Sora nearly toppled over the front of Reno's desk from the force of impact, barely missing Roxas' legs as they returned beneath the desk. When one of Reno's knickknacks fell off the side, Naminé yelped and caught it haphazardly in her hands. Reno bellowed for the replica to cut the shit out. The replica saluted him with a wink and whacked Sora so hard in the shoulder he nearly fell again. As Sora rubbed the coming bruise, he muttered a halfhearted hello.

"Twelve fucking years old," said the replica with a beam like sunshine. "Big year, big motherfucking year."

"Big- what?" breathed Sora in perhaps the deepest confusion of his life. The replica stared at him with wide, expectant eyes. Naminé put her face in her palm. Roxas ducked his head in an effort to still his laughter.

"One year away from thirteen?" the replica tried. "The big one- two. You know, twelve!"

"He's fifteen," Roxas managed. The replica turned to Sora and asked if he was twelve.

"They don't allow twelve year olds to go here," Naminé snapped.

"I'm not twelve!" Sora barked. When Roxas kept laughing, Sora rolled a spare streamer and chucked it at one of his party hat horns, making the honey blond yelp and shrink in his seat.

"He just turned fifteen!" Naminé told the replica. As he processed it, understanding entered his creased brow. Then, he beamed and gave a single laugh, clapping Sora on his good shoulder and nearly knocking him down the steps.

"Fifteen," the replica amended with a wink. "Motherfucking fi-fucking-teen. One year away from being legal. Just don't go getting any hanky-panky ideas early, little bro-meister."

"Legal to what?" asked Sora in confusion. The replica blinked out at him and snorted. Naminé changed the subject before he could speak.

"I hear you, Riku, and Roxas are all in the same dorm this year!" she cooed. Then she clapped. "I'm staying with Snow White, Jasmine, and a girl named Skuld!"

Roxas pursed his lips and looked down at the legs of his jeans, swiveling back and forth on Reno's chair with the balls of his feet.

"Hired to spy?" blurted the replica. Roxas snorted and beamed. Naminé's mouth fell open in shock.

"Riku!" she hissed. "You can't just come out with stuff like that!"

"Even if it's true?" whispered the replica, lowering and raising his eyebrows in suggestion.

"Especially if it's true!" whispered Naminé. "My gosh!"

As Naminé and the replica argued, Sora peeked around for Kairi. Every princess of heart bar Belle, who had been carried over to the group against her will by Cinderella, assailed her with questions and passages of joyous song. Sora snorted as he watched her pained expression. When he turned away, someone jumped on his back.

"Junior year, bitches! Woot woot!" Yuffie screeched from Sora's shoulders. Behind her lumbered Leon, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Hercules. When Yuffie saw them coming, she slid from Sora's back and kissed him on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, kid," Leon winked. Sora blushed and shrugged in a way he hoped looked nonchalant.

"Heard you dreamt about us," Yuffie added, raising and lowering her eyebrows. When Sora laughed, Tifa grinned.

"I'm kind of jealous I wasn't in it!" she chirped.

"Cloud was only in it for like, two seconds," returned Sora. "I beat him in a fight and helped him battle a giant dog."

"We know it was a dream because he beat me in a fight," Cloud announced. Everyone but Aerith laughed. When Sora asked how her dream went, she grimaced and said that she died.

"You WHAT?" gasped Sora. Aerith shrugged and nodded. "My vision quest's antagonist was Sephiroth. He killed me. I guess that means I failed."

"So he won?" asked Sora. Aerith shook her head. "Cloud destroyed him. His, my, Yuffie, and Tifa's vision quests were all set in the same world. Cloud turned out to be kind of the hero. Funny how you think you're the protagonist of your life, and then you step into one of those pods and you come out feeling like a plot point in someone else's."

Sora was so shocked he did not know what to say. Aerith smiled and patted his shoulder, asking how his quest went.

"Well," Sora murmured. "I beat the bad guy. Riku and Kairi were in my dream world, too."

"Oh," Aerith beamed. "What happened to them?"

"Riku succumbed to darkness and Kairi slept until the end," Sora explained.

Aerith furrowed her brows, muttering that that did not sound fair. Sora shrugged. Aerith commented that she heard Ventus lost his vision quest as well. Sora glanced over at the boy in curiosity. It looked like the party was the last place he wanted to be. He hung close to Terra and Aqua, muttering and scowling. When he caught Sora's eye, he narrowed his glance before scoffing and looking away. Aerith and her gang said their goodbyes just as Leon congratulated Sora on staying another year. Hercules boomed that Sora really beat the odds. Kairi barely caught a wave at him. The princesses of heart were herding her like a crowd of stampeding gazelles out of the classroom door. Belle escaped to the library when they tried grabbing her as well. When the only people left were Sora, Roxas, Hacky, Axel, Reno, the replica, and Naminé, everyone called it a night and started cleaning up. Axel had amassed a collection of eight party hats. The replica was trying to add a ninth, sporting seven himself. Naminé gathered all the streamers and kazoos. Roxas started putting foil back on unfinished food dishes and scraping any bits from empty ones into the trashcan. Reno reorganized his desk. Sora collected a broom to sweep the debris from the floor as Hacky perched atop his head. When everything was set, Axel let out a loud curse. Everyone glanced towards him and whined when they saw what he was holding.

They had forgotten to do the birthday cake. It was a small, lopsided chocolate one. When Sora asked where it came from Roxas coughed that he had made it. Sora glanced towards him in awe.

"You angel," he gasped. Roxas' face went a deep shade of scarlet as he shrugged.

"Looks like the top layer's falling off," Axel observed. Roxas scowled and leaned between the wall and the second foldout table. Naminé spirited the cake to his side and got out the cutting knife and a couple of candles. After sticking them in, Axel lit them with the tip of his finger. Then, Sora shut his eyes and made a wish. When the candles were blown out, Naminé counted the amount of people in the room and dished it all out. When they were all huddled around the bottom step of the office eating cake with their hands, Reno added that he had left Sora's presents at the back of the room.

"Presents?" Sora asked. Reno nodded.

"Want to open them now?"

Sora beamed and gave a feverish nod. He reached out his hand as Naminé gave him her gift. When he opened it, he blinked in surprise. It was a picture of Destiny Islands, presumably drawn by her with ink and watercolor brushes. In a pouch beside was a star shaped charm. The next present was from Yuffie, Aerith, and Leon: A visa with 500 munny on it, a strange little steel keychain in the shape of a roaring lion, and a membership card for Hollow Bastion. The princesses of heart gave Sora a red bean with a note saying, "Eat for fire power upgrade," Cloud gave Sora another keychain and a rubbery, translucent shard, the replica gave him a hand drawn birthday card, Kairi gave Sora two tickets to the beach, Aqua and Terra gave him advanced synthesis materials, and Hacky gave him a bucket load of synthesized items. Though most were duplicates, Sora thanked him with a big hug and watched with glee as the Moogle tore back into the hole in the ventilation system. When it came down to Reno, Axel, and Roxas, Reno and Axel glanced from each other to Naminé and leaned in.

"Our last gift is courtesy of Yen Sid, in thanks for helping us catch Marluxia this summer and for all the trouble it caused."

Sora furrowed his brows as they handed over the tiny envelope. When he opened it, he gasped.

Inside was a personal invitation to a private consultation with the owners of _The Three Fairies' Magical Armory Collection_ , free of charge.

"You can send in that crazy outfit of yours and get it magically upgraded," Axel said. "And, maybe taken in a little."

"Wow," Sora sniffed. "I don't know what to say."

"It was a joint begging effort," responded Reno. "Roxas convinced Ventus to put in a good word with Yen Sid. Turns out the old coot remembered you from when you cried in his office last year."

"Oh," said Sora with a grimace.

"Was it a good birthday, Sora?" Naminé asked. Sora glanced over at her, noticing for the first time that she was wearing a new dress and a white flower in her hair. There was something on her eyes that made her lashes darker. Mascara. Her lips were painted matte pink.

"Yeah," Sora croaked. Naminé smiled and gave him a hug. As she pressed against him, Sora felt his heart flutter. Axel and Reno exchanged glances when the hug lingered. When Naminé finished, she chirped that it was time for her to go. Everyone agreed and trasnported the leftovers and foldable tables back to the grand hall. Then they took down the banners and swept up Reno's office for the last time. Sora, Roxas, and the Riku replica trudged back to their dorm together, the replica jabbering on about how sweet it was going to be to start school in the morning.

"Can I have any cool catchphrases?" he asked.

"Riku speaks in abbreviations," explained Sora. "Keyblade is keeb, magic is mag, hit points are HP, that kind of thing. No renaming stuff or calling people weird names."

"So is combat comb?" asked the replica. Sora shook his head and said combat was just combat. The replica scowled and scribbled it out of the tiny notebook he kept in his back pocket.

"At this rate I won't be able to talk at all," he muttered.

"Shame," murmured Roxas, giving Sora the side eye. Sora snorted and cupped his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

"So, you guys are going to have to call me Riku like Naminé, you know?" the replica warned. "Not Repliku or Riku Replica."

Sora's smile fell with his heart. Suddenly he grew sad. "Can I call you Rick?" he asked. "That's what Nimo used to call…"

He could not finish. Roxas watched him as he swallowed. The replica shook his head and asked them to help him think up names.

"RR, Rick, Ricky, Rico, Ri Ri, Kutchie, Caca," Roxas rattled off.

"Caca," the replica murmured with a faraway nod. "Caca is getting somewhere."

"Rico is nice," chanced Sora. The replica stared into the distance and stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he beamed.

"Ari," he said.

"Ari?" repeated Roxas. The replica bit his lip. "You're right. Something isn't oomph enough."

"How about Rick?" repeated Sora. The replica scowled and jutted his hands out in front of him with finality.

"You can call me Rick in public, but in the dorm I want Ari!"

"I'm calling you Repliku in dorm," responded Roxas.

"Although I do like the feel of Big Boi or Numba 1…" the replica continued.

"Ari, then," Roxas responded with a curt smile, patting the replica's shoulder. As they walked on, the replica pulled out his schedule and asked what clubs they were in.

"Apparently the Organization teaches second years," he said. "I wonder how they divide rank with so many professors."

"Is Marluxia still here?" asked Sora. Roxas shook his head and said he had been fired. Sora could not believe it. A teacher actually being fired for inappropriate conduct.

"They got someone to replace him," responded the replica. "Got in today with that weirdo DiZ."

As they clobbered through the stairwell to the boy's dorms, the deafening sound of new blood ransacking the halls blistered closer. Sora peeped through the exit door window before going through. Upperclassmen from the junior and senior class lined the halls, taunting incoming freshmen like they had when Sora first got there. Vanitas seemed relatively subdued, for once, either because he was in a lazy mood or because most of his posse had graduated or been kicked out. For a moment Sora looked out at the demon's victims in awe, thinking how lucky he was to be here for another year and out of his claws. When he stopped gawking and started registering faces, though, he gasped.

"Son of a nutcracker," he breathed. "Son of a butter nutting nutcracker!"

Before Roxas or Ari could ask what was wrong, Sora burst into the fray and reached out his hands.

"Tidus!" he screeched. "Tidus, I can't believe it!"

A little boy with scruffy blond hair parted down the middle straightened and turned around in confusion, his duffel bag clutched tightly in his arms. When he noticed Sora shoving towards him, he screeched and dropped every belonging he possessed, jumping up until he was almost crowd surfing to Sora's side. When he got there, he pulled the older boy into a hug. Sora hugged back, trying to hold in his sobs. But when Tidus started whimpering, all bets were off. Soon they were wailing like idiots in the middle of the crowd of incoming freshmen.

"Aw, just take him to your fucking room, faggot," called Vanitas' grating voice. Sora ignored it and pulled Tidus away to look at him. The boy had grown a couple inches. His cheeks had less chub. But he was still the dusty blond, blue-eyed boy Sora remembered.

"How's Wakka?" Sora asked. Tidus shrugged and wiped the snot from his nose. "Better. He prefers regular high school. He told me not to try out, but how could I say no? Oh, hey, Riku!" he cried. Sora felt the color drain from his face for the third time that day. When he turned around, the replica was holding out his palm to shake Tidus' hand. When Tidus caught sight of the gesture, he snorted and jumped into Riku's arms, nuzzling him with a bear hug. Riku responded with a growl and tickle that made Tidus squeal and tumble to the ground. Sora yelped and separated the boys, telling Tidus Riku was not feeling well and that they were going to catch some shuteye.

"This is what cool DI friends do, right?" asked Ari.

"No," Sora snapped. "That's what weirdoes do." Then he turned to Tidus and asked what dorm he was in.

"Number eleven, what number are you?"

"Sixteen, so opposite sides, but I'll come visit you!"

"Yeah," responded Tidus. Then his eyes sparkled. "Oh! Selphie got in, too!"

"DIY coming together," Ari bellowed. Tidus furrowed is brows. Before he could ask questions, Sora shoved him and his belongings into dorm eleven and kicked Ari towards dorm sixteen with Roxas. Before he could escape himself, a bronze hand grabbed him by the shoulder and swiveled him around. Vanitas glared down at him with piercing golden irises.

"Ever since Marluxia got kicked out faculty have been asking what I did to you," he hissed. "If I get suspended for fingering your stupid ass, expect me to take you down."

"Gotta suck his stupid dick first!" cackled Ari out of nowhere. Before he could cause any more damage, Roxas wrenched him out of the hallway and into their dorm. While he was gone, Vanitas hissed that he was the most powerful key blade wielder in the student body. Before Sora could respond, Roxas was at his side again.

"Mess with him, you mess with me, Vanitas," the boy warned. Immediately Vanitas straightened up and grinned.

"Maybe if you let me mess with you I'll keep out of his way."

"It wasn't an invitation," responded Roxas. "Go fuck a lance."

Vanitas sputtered and hissed as Roxas spirited Sora into their dorm. Once the door locked and the ruckus outside faded to nothing, Sora stood at the center of the room in disbelief. Had Roxas and the Riku replica just gotten him out of a potential fight with his arch nemesis? When Sora snapped to his senses, Roxas and Ari were organizing their sides of the room.

"Which bunk do you want, Sora?" Roxas asked.

"Topsies," called Ari, barreling into the top bunk on the right side of the room and rolling the covers around himself. Roxas looked to the heavens and shook his head, making Sora laugh. As usual, Roxas' smile acted like a magnet. Sora was leaning at his side watching him divide clean bedclothes before he realized.

"Or you can cuddle with me, if you like," Roxas joked with pinking cheeks. Sora shrugged and said he farted in his sleep. "You don't want that kind of trouble too close," he added. Ari snorted from the top bunk and farted in approval.

"You want to take your chances under him?" Roxas asked.

"Can I bunk under you?" asked Sora. "I get scared I'll fall off the top."

"Sure, Sora," Roxas said. After taking his shirt and pants off, he climbed up the bunk ladder and laid down his bedding. Sora watched the pull of the muscles in his back in awe as he worked. Though Riku's muscles might have been larger, Roxas was more toned than Riku had ever been on Destiny Islands. Every tendon, it seemed, coursed just beneath his thin golden skin like pulled strings. When he turned to ask Sora what he was wearing the next morning, Sora blubbered and trundled for the combat outfit with the steel plated shoulders he bought with his first paycheck. Roxas snorted.

"Is it stupid?" Sora asked. Roxas shook his head.

"No, Sora," he said. "Wear whatever you like."

Sora beamed and set the clothing out. Then he hooked his hands around the rim of his shirt and gulped, peeping down his collar to see how he looked. Shutting his eyes, he tore off his own shirt and athletic pants and dived to make his own bed. Before long Roxas helped him. When they finished, Sora put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"What?" asked Roxas. Without thinking Sora slid his arm over Roxas' shoulder. When Roxas' hand slipped around Sora's waist, Sora blinked in surprise and stared at him over pinking cheeks. When Roxas beamed, he melted.

"I think this is going to be a good year," he announced.

Roxas blinked back at him before smiling as well. "Yeah, I think so, too." He murmured. Then he curled his lips towards Sora's ear. "That is if we figure out how the hell to deal with that dipshit."

Ari groaned for them to get a room. Sora threw a pillow at him. Ari farted in return. As Roxas climbed into his top bunk, Sora chuckled and sighed, trailing his toes back and forth across the carpeted ground with an absent mind. Roxas asked if he could turn off the lights. Sora nodded and pulled down the switch, sinking the room into soft blue darkness. As he stood at the center of the room in silence, his glance trailed towards the window. Mist already clung to the grounds outside. Sora's gaze moved up to the stars. His shoulders sagged. Destiny Islands was up there, somewhere. It seemed like ions since he, Kairi, and Riku had laid with clasped hands on the sands of the uncharted island near Luca, Wakka's dad's longliner anchored a five minute swim away. Sweet, salty sun clinging to their lips. If Sora concentrated he could feel the wash of the waves on his fingertips right now. Moisture pooled around his eyes as he thought of it. His heart ached.

In a different universe, he supposed, he would never have met Roxas. He would have remained on Destiny Islands with Riku and Kairi and lived out his life. He would never have had to deal with Rosso, or Vanitas, or Marluxia. Sice, Nao, and Sota would have continued their studies. Riku would be safe. Life would have trudged on as normal.

But when Sora really thought about it, he was not sure which path he would choose over the other. All he could hope was that his friends would remain close, and that Riku was somewhere, amongst those stars, hunting for a way to reach Sora's side.

~X~

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 **A/N: Aw... does Sora have a crush? How does everyone like the reappearance of Roxas? Much more to come in coming chapters... things will get increasingly spicy... there will be twists and turns... get ready to gasp... and at some point, things will start getting dark... but that's for later. PLEASE FOLLOW/FAV/REVIEW! And tell me what you think! Your support is my inspiration!**


	12. First Day Back

**A/N: Hello, Hello! Two reviews, yay! I missed you all! Ah, as my semester ends, Sora starts his. Luckily I'll have a tiny bit more free time... But I am motoring right along! I'll try to upload faster, because I'm ages ahead of you all in the story. I'm just a perfectionist who edits a lot. Thanks for staying along for the ride!**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Twelve_**

~X~

Sora woke up before his alarm. Once he rubbed the grit from his eyes, he snuggled his bedclothes close to his chin and smiled in anticipation. When the alarm did go off, he was ready. Stopping it and sitting up, he popped out his earplugs, stretched, and glanced around the early morning light. It was still dusk, and dawn would not occur for another thirty minutes. But a golden haze wafted over the horizon in the east. Sora jumped up and pressed his face against the window to watch it for a few moments. Then he slipped out of his pajamas and wiggled into the running clothes Zell had given him his freshman year. As he shimmied them on, Ari groaned from his top bunk and asked what time it was.

"Ten till six," Sora whispered.

"Are you kidding?" Ari moaned.

"No," Sora continued. "I run in the morning." Then he peeped around to see if Roxas was up. His bed was empty. Sora pursed his lips. He had wanted to ask Roxas to run with him. But Ari seemed to be his only choice.

"Ari, do you like running?" Sora asked. Ari farted. As Sora moved to go without him, the replica muttered, "maybe." Then he rolled out of the bed and asked if Sora had any extra track clothes. Sora shrugged and peeped around to see if he still had any of Terra's stuff. When he noticed Ari tearing through his own drawer, throwing clothes left, right, and center, he glanced towards the forgotten articles and gaped in realization.

"Ari, where did you get those?" he intoned. When Ari brought out an ancient T-shirt with "Destiny Islands Kindergarten Choir," and a big paopu with a smiley face on the front of it, Sora got his answer. Before the replica could snort and throw it to the side, Sora snatched it from his hands and held it close.

Riku had gotten it when he was five years old. Sora knew, because he had gotten the exact same shirt, in the exact same size, at the exact same moment. That was how they met: rehearsing for the youth choir's winter concert. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 2 pm on a small set of risers in the cafeteria of the elementary school. When Sora sneezed on the back of Riku's hair in the middle of the third rehearsal, Riku had told him to cover his mouth. Sora told Riku he liked his runners, and Riku said Sora's shorts were _red_. Sora took that as a compliment. They did not talk much until they were standing in line for their t-shirts and paopu hats the week before the concert. Sora and Riku compared scars. Riku had a bunch from rowing. Sora had one from standing too close to the stove when his mother was cooking bacon, and another from being accidentally whacked in the face with a shovel when he stood behind his dad doing the garden. When they finally got their choir tops, there were only extra larges left. During the concert they hid their arms inside the sleeves and let their hands hang out by their shoulders. Ever since, they had been friends. Sora could not believe Riku had kept the souvenir all this time, let alone brought it with him to key blade academy. Suddenly, as Sora looked from the faded, yellowing shirt to Ari's placid face, anger bubbled inside him. He gripped the battered cloth in his hand and shook it under the replica's chin.

"You CANNOT wear Riku's stuff!" hissed Sora. Immediately, Ari's expression contorted with indignation.

"Excuse me, biologically I AM Riku!" he hissed. "So give me back my fucking top."

Before he knew it, Sora was standing and screaming.

"YOU'RE NOT RIKU," he roared as he shook the shirt through the air. YOU'RE NOT, AND YOU'LL NEVER BE!"

Ari jolted and shut his mouth. After several silent moments, he blinked and turned away to pick up Riku's other belongings. When he collected them in his arms he folded and replaced them with care at the bottom of the drawer. As Sora watched him, guilt crept in. He bit his lip. Then he gave Riku's shirt back. Ari did not take it.

"So should I wear my bedcover to class?" the replica grunted, a hint of a tremble in his voice. "That pass me off as your weak hearted buddy enough?"

Sora opened his mouth to apologize, but the replica was already storming out with his towel and toiletries for a shower. Sora's shoulders fell. He decided to leave on his own. When he got to the forecourt he stretched for ten minutes. Then, setting his watch for six thirty, he hitched his legs up and started around the mountain path. The breeze was cool and refreshing. As he descended the last spiral stair and charged past the golden rings, he noticed a girl from his class doing pull ups on one of the wooden poles. She finished just as Sora passed her. When he said hi, she grumbled something barely human and jogged beside him. She looked on the verge of collapse. When Sora asked if she wanted some water, she shook her head and set her jaw towards the road ahead.

"You going to yoga at seven?" asked Sora. The girl grunted. What was her name?

"You're Mulan!" Sora gasped. Mulan nodded and let a burst of energy carry her a little farther forward. "How long have you been running?" Sora asked.

"Since five," Mulan groaned. Sora glanced upon her in horror. She had definitely been training over the summer. The muscles in her arms and legs looked bigger. The determination in her eye glinted sharper.

"Gotta get up my combat rank," she wheezed. "I was this close to being axed last semester. They told me so, it was between me and Olette."

Sora grimaced. Olette had been a friend in his first few weeks of school. When he remembered how close he had been to expulsion last year, he shivered.

"You inspired me," Mulan grinned. "I've been practicing my magic. I think my element is fire."

"Element?" said Sora. Mulan nodded feverishly. The conversation seemed to make her run faster.

"Every warrior has a weapon and element they attract most to," she explained. Then her eyes shone. "Mine is sword and fire."

"How do you know?" Sora asked.

"Fire's my strongest magic," she responded. Then she added with a sheepish grin, "well, my only magic."

"Nice," Sora responded. When he asked what path Mulan usually took, she shrugged and said she would follow him back for yoga. Sora nodded and veered over the white stone bridge towards the burger joint path. They curled around the outskirts of the village in the valley until they were coming up the peak at the back of the school. When they got halfway up, they hiked the stone steps to the rope bridge and sprinted across, whizzing by the maze and back towards the summit where Dhalsim hosted yoga. When they got there, they picked up some of his spare mats and headed to the back of the class. Kids and faculty were already meditating. Yen Sid and Mickey knelt side by side. A little ways away sat the monstrous Lexaeus. Nearby knelt several Shinra employees, including Reno. His cousin Lea hung close, not the least bit interested in the whole ordeal. Coco set out her mat behind his feet. When she saw Sora coming she beamed and beckoned him to her side. When they were close, she whispered that she saw he was taking LGBTQ again, and that she had so many ideas for activities that year.

"Membership is up over 100%!" she hissed, shaking with excitement. Sora whispered that that was great, freezing when a loud cough carried over the meditating heads towards him. Dhalsim pierced him with the fiercest glare he had ever seen. With a gulp, Sora hunkered into child's pose and sat there until the session started. When the hour finished, Sora walked back to the school with Coco and Mulan, who was glugging down the rest of his water.

"I feel so much better," she sighed, wiping the sweat from her brow. "I thought of running for another hour, but I'd already thrown up once, so I figured I'd give myself a break."

"Three hours a morning?" gasped Sora. "Don't you think you're overdoing it?"

"No pain, no gain," Mulan snapped.

The trio parted ways when they reached the great hall. Sora picked up some porridge from the breakfast line and stopped when he saw what the desert of the day was. When one of the staff asked what was wrong, Sora asked for extra bacon.

"And, can I just have a couple kupo nuts instead of the kupo nut tart?"

The staff member snorted and asked what he wanted them for. When Sora could not provide a clear answer, the man said no.

"It's for a friend!" Sora whined.

"What friend?" responded a nasal, singsong voice behind him. When he turned around he stood face to face with Reno, still in his workout attire, with a large plate of eggs and toast draped across his forearm. Sora's eyes widened.

"Uh…" he muttered. Reno turned to the breakfast staff and asked for five kupo nuts. The breakfast staff member grunted and retrieved some in a jar from the back, handing the container to Reno and eyeing Sora with a suspicious glare. When they were out of range of the lunch line, Reno handed the jar over.

"Those for your little Moogle friend?" he asked. Sora nodded and said he could not pass up the opportunity. Beside him Reno ripped into his piece of toast and furrowed his brows. "Sora, I was watching Happy-"

"Hacky," corrected Sora.

"-Hacky, at your birthday party. I got curious. So I looked up 'Moogle' in the Shinra database."

"Oh," responded Sora. "Thanks!"

"Well, from the looks of it Hacky is pretty old," Reno said. "For a Moogle like her, who's been living on rats and stray thunder shards all her life, rich foods like bacon and kupo nuts could, uh… disrupt her bowel movements."

"Hacky's a girl?" Sora gasped. Reno nodded and said you could tell by wing and pom-pom size. "Point is her heart and stomach are delicate. Just… be aware of that."

"I'll only give her one nut," Sora sighed.

"Can I have the bacon?" asked Reno. Sora shrugged and handed it over. They ate side by side at a table near the door. When they were done, they traipsed down the stairs to the electrical room together. Reno unlocked it so Sora could get inside. They trudged to the substation and waited as Sora waved the kupo nut in the air and called Hacky's name. Soon the familiar rustle of wings sounded, along with the gnashing of tiny, pincher like teeth. Then Hacky dived for Sora's hand and attacked the nut out of his grip. As Sora and Reno watched her eat, Reno set his hand around Sora's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I am continuously amazed by your compassion, Sora," he announced. His hand stayed on Sora's shoulder. Sora gave a nervous chuckle and shrugged, glancing into Reno's eyes. He had forgotten just how green they were. As he stared his brows furrowed.

"You have tattoos," he murmured in surprise. "I always thought that was your hair." Reno padded around the red slash marks on his cheeks and snorted. "You want to know a secret?" he asked. Sora nodded and grinned.

"Axel and I got ours at the same time."

"Really?"

Reno nodded and winked. "Who did it right?"

Sora blushed and shrugged, muttering that it did not matter. When he peeked up at Reno through his lashes, he noticed the man had a hoop earring in his left earlobe. Sora furrowed his brows deeper. Reno's arm left his side. Sora let out a gust of breath.

"Look at the time," the red head muttered. "I've got to wash myself and teach first years, gods help me." He put on a woeful expression. Sora laughed a little too loud. Then he asked who was teaching if the Tsviets were gone.

"Regular Shinra," returned Reno. "I may get a visit from a higher up, soon. Too much shit has been going down. More crap to deal with, huh?"

"Yeah," Sora croaked. For some reason his chest twisted. Was Riku's disappearance just "more crap to deal with?"

Reno smiled at Sora for a few moments. Then he shrugged and muttered goodbye. Before he left, Sora asked if they were any closer to finding Riku. Reno stopped in his tracks and stood in silent thought. When he turned, he had a grin on his face. He winked and said they were working on it. Sora relaxed. "Goodbye!" he called. By then Reno had gone. Sora lingered by the electrical room door until Hacky retched from the substation. In fear Sora whizzed back to her. When he reached her side, he realized she had only upchucked the pit from the middle of the kupo nut. For the most part she seemed pleased. For a moment Sora sat stroking her head. When he grazed her pom-pom, he gasped and rushed out apologies. Hacky patted his hand as if it was all right. Then they sat side by side. Sora tapped his toes in thought.

"Would you say Axel's teardrops look nice, Hacky?" he asked all of a sudden.

Hacky retched up the other half of the kupo nut pit and dashed back into her hole in the wall. Sora sighed and muttered farewell as he returned to the electrical room door. Outside he could hear Reno speaking with someone. He furrowed his brows. A high, familiar voice rose up as well. Sora's heart skipped as he tiptoed closer and cracked the door open. He could see the white blonde of Naminé's hair as she blustered to someone with a hood over his head. He wore the robes of Organization Thirteen. Reno stood by with his hands in the pockets of his workout shorts, offering an occasional mutter of dissent or agreement to Naminé's feverish exclamations. When the man in the cloak turned, Sora saw that the skin of his neck and collar was dark. His face was shrouded in shadow. He spoke in a whisper, but Sora could tell his voice was deep. Naminé scowled as he finished whatever he was saying and glanced to Reno in fear. The redhead shrugged.

"You don't have to do anything," he stated. "We hired you for your weapon, not your reputation- Sora, stop spying."

Sora stifled a yelp and shuffled from the electrical room door, trying to act as though he had just walked from the substation. Reno gave him a pointed glance that made Sora shrink in embarrassment. When Naminé caught sight of him, she gasped. Then her brilliant pink cheeks broke with a stunning smile.

"Sora!" she beamed. Sora stared at the man at Naminé's side. When Reno noted his curiosity, he leaned towards the hooded being and indicated him with an outstretched arm.

"This is the new second year teacher, Sora," he announced. The hooded man stood still as Sora took him in. When Sora mumbled a hello, the man bowed and said it was a pleasure to meet him. Then he glanced at his watch and murmured that he was needed in the great hall. Reno volunteered to accompany him. The hooded figure responded with silence. The pair disappeared into the elevator. Naminé watched them leave with trembling hands. When the elevator doors closed with a beep, she shut her eyes and slammed her palm against her face. There was silence except for churning metal gears. When Sora chanced asking what had happened, Naminé waved him away.

"Caught," she sighed, muttering under her breath, "by the worst person possible." She peered up the stairs to see if anyone else was around. Sora asked if she wanted him to walk her to class. She nodded and smiled. They trudged up the stairs side by side.

"How's Repliku doing?" asked Naminé.

"Oh?" Sora said. After readjusting his brain he stuttered that the replica called himself Ari. "The repliku- ca, caca, er, I mean…" Sora tried to pass his vocal incompetence off by taking sudden interest in the pipes lining the stairwell ceiling.

"Ari," Naminé murmured as though Sora had not just embarrassed himself beyond repair. "It makes me happy that he's forming his own identity. At the same time…"

"Bad?" Sora managed to get out. Naminé nodded. Then she chuckled that he was not very convincing.

"If the administration finds out what happened this summer," she gulped. "I'm in trouble."

"I'll protect you!" Sora ejaculated. Naminé snorted without helping it. Sora pursed his lips and shuffled his feet. They made it to the entrance hall, empty save for charging first years. Naminé turned to Sora and thanked him for walking her. In return, he asked if she was going out with Roxas. Naminé blinked from surprise. Sora opened and closed his mouth in shock.

"I mean, d-did you see him this morning," Sora whined. "B-because he wasn't in his d-dorm a-and, and I didn't see him at yoga and…"

"I didn't see him," Naminé replied. Then she winked and leaned close. "And we're not going out. I'm not going out with anyone right now."

"Really?" Sora wheezed, trying to lean against a pillar that was not there. Naminé stifled laughter as he stumbled, shaking her head with glee.

"Roxas is a creature unto himself," she murmured. "Definitely not interested in… well, me, for instance."

"I'm sorry," Sora croaked, not the least bit sorry. Naminé shrugged and murmured that there were other fish in the sea. Sora snorted in what he feared was the most unattractive way possible. His beached whale breath had returned full force. Though he stood a good two feet from Naminé, his face hovered seven or so inches from her own. Her ash blonde lashes fluttered as she glanced up with eyes the clearest blue Sora had ever seen. His mouth went dry. Then, swiveling away and barreling up the stairs, he squeaked that they were seriously late to class. Naminé waved goodbye. Sora was so busy waving back that he missed the last step. As he toppled against the side of the banisters and rolled against the wall, Naminé yelped and asked if he was all right. Sora jumped up and squeaked affirmation. He waved again. Naminé blew him a kiss. As Sora watched her go he groaned and bit his lip. Raucous conversation wafted from the great hall behind him. Skipping through the air and warbling a few notes from _Crush on You_ , he dashed through the double doors and peered around for faces he liked.

Kairi sat with a huddle of girls from her old Class P, including Belle, Aurora, and Honey Lemon. The "moon" twins huddled around Xehanort with awe, flanked by Seifer and Noel. Joshua bothered Neku, while Gogo and Shiki sat with Marceline, who looked miserable. Bubblegum was nowhere in sight. Cloud wandered solo around the classroom rear, while Tifa, Yuffie, and Aerith sat talking to Hayner and a boy named Beat. Zell spoke to a group of girls who specialized in martial arts. Five kids who had self-styled themselves the "Justice League," laughed together in the room's opposite corner. All that left was Roxas, Ventus, and Ari, who sat in an outward facing triangle refusing to speak to one another. When Sora reached their sides and said hello, Roxas smiled. Ventus scowled. Ari grunted. Before Sora could apologize for his behavior that morning, a piercing whistle sounded from the front of the room. The junior class swiveled towards their professors in anticipation. The man at the center of the sixteen stood.

"Welcome," he said. His voice gave Sora shivers. "To your second year at the Land of Departure Key blade Academy. How fortunate we the Organization are, to know such talented youths."

"The voice of sex!" Sora heard Ari whisper. Well, at least he had not hurt the replica's feelings completely beyond repair that morning.

"Today we shall test you," the man continued. The slow, deliberate strokes with which he moved put Sora in a trance. He found himself centering on the man's orange eyes. When his mouth hung open, Roxas snapped him out of it. Sora shook his head and straightened.

"As the traveler cannot seek without stars, the student cannot prosper without a guide. Let us, therefore, pick a point of concentration at the beginning of each class, to guide us to the heart of our abilities. Today's guiding thought shall be this, "follow your heart." The heart echoes our deepest impulses. Let us foster our natural strengths as we work today. Swiftness, certainty, and abandon will be rewarded. Languidness, deliberation, and dissimulation, will be punished."

The students glanced towards one another.

"My colleague Luxord shall pass out exams. Please keep all papers turned down when you receive them. Speaking or questioning in any form is forbidden. The fifteen of you who finish first shall be granted twenty points extra credit for today's lesson. Every minute after the fifteenth person turns in their test will mark your daily grade down by one point."

Everyone blinked in horror and waited for their test to fall into their laps. When they saw how thick each packet was, they gritted their teeth. Sora's fingers tingled with anticipation as Luxord resituated himself in the tenth chair. Xemnas asked if everyone had a paper. There was a thundering round of yesses. The orange-eyed man held up his hand for everyone to wait, readjusting his watch. "The thirty minutes," he began. Then he swept down his hand. "Begin now."

A sound like a massive, rushing wave cascaded through the room as student after student turned over their papers. When Sora wiped the sweat from his eyes and read the first question, his brows furrowed.

 _"You are almost never late for your appointments."_

Was it a trick question? A riddle? Sora bit his lip and worked through the first letters. YANLFYA. What was it? Roxas was muttering beside him. When Sora realized he was talking to him, he leaned over in curiosity.

"Read the directions," Roxas growled under his breath. Sora whipped his glance back to his paper.

 _"When responding to the statements below, please choose the response you agree with the most,"_ he read. _"On a scale of NO, no, uncertain, yes, and YES."_

He skipped the first question and moved to the second.

 _"You like to be engaged in an active and fast paced job."_

Sora circled "YES" immediately. With bolstered confidence he went on until he reached the statement, _"You have good control over your desires and temptations."_ He rubbed his hand across his temple in deliberation. When one person stood and turned their test in, Sora bit his nails and cut his losses. He kicked Roxas with his foot. When the boy appeared to be listening, Sora asked in an undertone if he had control over his desires and temptations. Roxas blushed but remained silent. As Sora kicked him harder, a shadow fell over his back. When he turned, he gasped. Xemnas stared down at him with an unintelligible expression.

"It takes a special kind of person," the man rumbled. "To cheat on a personality test."

Sora's cheeks went fire red. Xemnas bent closer.

"Languidness and deliberation will be punished," he intoned. "Therefore, after the first fifteen turn their tests in, I will mark down four points for every minute you waste. Ah," he added, as five people turned in their papers in a row.

"That leaves nine more people, Sora," he cooed. "I suggest you hurry."

Sora sunk his nose into his paper and flew through the remaining questions, ignoring when sweat dripped over his answers. He heard another group of papers being turned in and bit his lip. Roxas stood and walked from his side. He did not return. Sora was having trouble focusing. In desperation he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and a long sigh out, and continued. When he was down to one more page, his heart beat in excitement.

"Twenty have turned in their exams," thrummed Xemnas' voice from the head of the room. Sora refused to look up. He scribbled through what he thought was the last page and whined when he figured out there was another. Finally, he got through all of it and barreled to the head of the class. He had to wait in line before five other people. When he finally got to Xemnas, the man drew up his papers and examined them under the light. When he was finished, he set the test on the top of the pile and transcribed Sora's time.

"Six minutes have passed from the first fifteen," he murmured. "Your grade for the day stands at a seventy six."

Sora felt like crying. With a curt nod he stormed back to his spot and locked his arms in front of him. The replica was struggling beside him, biting his lip as he attempted figuring out what the real Riku would say about himself. Finally, he gave up pretending. He was one of the last to turn his papers in, along with Hayner, Mulan, Honey Lemon, and Ventus. When everyone finished, the Organization called for the students to sit in a circle. Xemnas handed the floor to a man with long black hair and an eye patch, who stood and clapped his hands.

"Next dish of the day is introductions," the one eyed man drawled. "We're going to go around in a circle and introduce ourselves one by one, just like kindergarten. Say your name, summon your weapon, and describe your favorite pastime. Faculty first. Xigbar," he added with a bow. Then he summoned a pair of purple crossbows. "Reading with a glass of wine." Sora listened with amusement to the rest of the Organization's pastimes. Lexaeus' was listening to classical music, Vexen's was baking, Axel's was sleeping in, Demyx's was playing sitar, and Luxord's was gambling. Sephiroth summoned an obscenely long katana that happened to point at Aerith as he brandished it. The girl glanced away as he spoke. When the katana disappeared and Sephiroth sat down the students peered to the second to last teacher, who Sora recognized as the man Reno introduced him to before class. The figure's hood remained up. When he realized he had to speak, he hesitated. The hood pulled back. When Sora saw what lay beneath, he gasped.

A man with purplish silver, long, slicked back hair, dark bronze skin, and orange eyes more piercing than Xemnas', stared coolly at the children around him, settling in particular on Riku, Kairi, and then Sora. When he met Sora's eye, Sora gritted his teeth and glared at him. The man's eyes widened then narrowed. He glanced away.

"Ansem," he murmured. Then, he stood and held out his hand. A dark bubbling substance seeped from around his fingers, forming into an ugly dark orb. Burst from within, was a one eyed blade in the shape of a dragon wing, with red webbing and deep indigo joints. As the man drew the weapon behind his head, Sora lurched forward. Roxas clamped him down with one strong arm. The strange man relinquished Riku's key blade and murmured that he enjoyed rowing. Sora scoffed. The mouse that had led Sora to Yen Sid's office the year before stood and summoned a key blade as well, the same as Sora's but with an opposite color scheme. He added that his favorite pastime was working on his steamboat. Then it came around to the students.

When it was Ari's turn, he stood and cleared his throat, speaking in a voice that could not possibly be Riku's. "Riku," he growled, eyeing everyone with a beady glance. After brandishing the same key blade as the man with the purplish silver hair, he relinquished it and murmured that his favorite pastime was coaxing the darkness in his heart. Sora thought he could hear the man with Riku's key blade snort. He gritted his teeth. Roxas said his favorite pastime was eating sea salt ice cream. When he sat, it was Sora's turn. Sora scrambled up and squeaked his name. Then he took a deep breath and held out his hand. Nothing happened. For several moments Sora wriggled his fingers before he started sweating.

"Favorite pastime is blitzball," he croaked. His key blade would not summon.

"It appears your weapon, like yourself," Xemnas chuckled from the head of the circle, "is hesitant."

"Perhaps it seeks a respectful audience," shot back Ansem. Sora gritted his teeth and summoned his key blade at once, pointing it at Ansem's nose. Ahead, Xemnas chuckled, "Or inspiration!"

Ansem and Sora exchanged glances. Then, Sora relinquished his key blade and sat down. When everyone finished introducing themselves, their weapons, and their pastimes, Organization Thirteen herded them from the grand hall, around the forecourt and maze, over the rope bridge, and down the stone steps into a valley Sora had never seen before. When everyone gathered together, the sixteen professors divided the students amongst themselves. Then, Xemnas announced that they would be fighting them. The students gasped and glanced around.

"One on one?" someone asked.

"Against you?" added another.

Xemnas nodded to both. Then he called his colleagues to prepare their first opponent. Sora glanced around for familiar faces. Roxas was pitted against Ansem. Ari was fighting Larxene; Kairi, Axel. Lexaeus was clobbering Hayner, Sephiroth thrashing Cloud. Everywhere he looked, fellow students were being decimated. When it came his turn, he stepped forward and furrowed his brows. Standing before him with a wide grin, was Demyx. The man summoned his sitar in a burst of spray, flipping it around as the strap slipped over his shoulder. After situating himself, he winked.

"Alright, chicken nugget," he called. "Eyes open."

Sora nodded and wiped the sweat from his brow, blinking and setting his jaw as he summoned his key blade.

"I'll give you a hint," the mullet headed blond said. "You got twenty seconds to defeat twenty of my water forms, or I'm going to spray you so hard you'll faint."

"TWENTY?" shrieked Sora.

"That's the spirit!" called Demyx with glee. As he strummed on the massive stringed instrument, the water surrounding him took the form of musical notes. Sora started slashing blindly, ever watching the massive tornado of water churning towards him.

"TEN SECONDS!" sang Demyx. Sora whimpered as he got through the fifth form. He had never been good with timed events.

"FIVE SECONDS, THREE, TWO, ONE, SPRAY!" Demyx raised his hand and rammed it into his sitar strings, making the instrument vibrate so hard its frame hummed. Sora clamped his hands to his ears as his key blade clattered to the ground. The hurricane surrounding Demyx reached horrifying heights as it prepared to swallow Sora up. Before he could scramble up his key blade again, the water crashed around him and engulfed him. As it twirled him around in circles, his head began to throb and black stars crinkled around the sides of his vision.

 _"Son of a nutcracker,"_ he thought to himself. He had the sneaking suspicion he was going to faint.

~X~

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 **A/N: GASP! Ansem, Seeker of Darkness makes an appearance as a professor? And Sora immediately hates him?! What will happen next? How will Sora prove himself in class? How will he deal with Riku's disappearance? Will he figure out how he feels about Roxas and Naminé? Stay tuned! As always, follow, favorite, and review!**


	13. Swapping Spit

**A/N: What?! No reviews?! T.T Sigh... I hope people are still enjoying this... I recently discovered that I let the edited versions of chapters 14 and 17 through 21 expire... amazing how fast 90 days passes when you're busy.** **I've dug through my laptop and discovered the unedited, fetal versions anew. Now I have a slight fear of losing edited work to time... On the bright side, I guess this will give me a chance to look at this story with fresh eyes... so if you have anything to say... speak now while the way is malleable...**

 **I'm VEERRRY excited about this chapter... and worried that I'm toeing the line between the T and M** **ratings... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me if that line is too close for comfort. I think we're fine for a little while longer. Eventually, though, the M will be absolutely inevitable.**

 **If you all have nothing to say about this baby... I'll be flabbergasted. Read on!** **Review, follow, and fav anyway.**

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~X~

 _ **Chapter Thirteen**_

~X~

The rest of the week proved one of the most brutal Sora had ever experienced. He thought Rosso was bad last year, but she had nothing on the Organization. Unlike the Tsviets, they refused to hold back. On Wednesday, after the juniors had been tested to the limit of their abilities, the Organization gathered them together campfire style in the great hall like they had done their first day and handed out new schedules. When the students read the class times in confusion, Axel stepped up to explain.

"Your freshman year, you were divided into seven skill classes, right?" he started. "Morning was combat, afternoon was magic. Class rank switched, so did your classmates, but largely same kids, same single professor, same competition the entire year. Clear? Now. I want you to take all that knowledge and convert it into a tiny, mental bubble. Then. I want you to pop it."

The class looked at him dully.

"Junior year is about teamwork and intuitive power. Each of you will have three professors- one homeroom, one weapon specialist, and one element specialist. Everyone look at the top of your page. Read the first box to yourselves."

Sora glanced at the top of his page and mumbled, _"Name: Sora Nomura, fighting style: fast and close, weapon: key blade, element: light."_

"Your homeroom assignment is meant to challenge your natural fighting style," Axel continued. "Your specialists will help you cultivate specific skills in your weapon and element of choice. Junior year is on an A/B schedule. Every A day you will work with your homeroom teacher on combat from 9 to 12 and magic from 1 to 4. Every B day you will work with your specialists: weapon specialist from 9 to 12 and element specialist from 1 to 4. Now read the bottom of your schedules to yourselves."

Sora whipped down to the bottom of the paper, mouthing as he went. His homeroom teacher was Luxord, and his weapon and element specialists were both Mickey Mouse.

"Everyone find their homeroom teachers and stand beside them. Five seconds, go!"

The entire class charged towards the professors. When Sora reached Luxord, he noticed Roxas and Tifa Lockhart charging to his side. They all gave each other a short greeting before Axel snapped for everyone to find their weapon specialist. Roxas, Sora, and the rest of the key blade wielders ran to Mickey Mouse. When all were commanded to find their element specialist, Sora and Roxas stayed with him.

"Did all of you get a good look at the other students gathered around your professors?"

Everyone shouted yes.

"Those will be your classmates for the semester."

Sora and Roxas glanced towards each other in surprise. Axel clapped to get everyone's attention again.

"Now for the good news," he grinned. "You're about to get the rest of the day off. All you have to do is come up here- WHEN I TELL YOU TO- and sign down for a fifteen-minute conference slot with your weapon and element specialists. All weapon conferences will take place between 9 and 12 pm tomorrow morning, and all element conferences will take place between 1 and 4 pm tomorrow afternoon. Do not sign down for the wrong professor at the wrong time. If you're confused, get a friend to enlighten you." Sora thought he saw Axel chance a glance at he and Roxas.

"Are the sign up sheets ready?" Axel asked Xemnas. When he got a nod of approval, he beckoned everyone over. Sora shoved around until he finally managed to scribble his name into the conference slots for eleven forty five and three forty five. When he finished he scrambled towards Soddy- his new nickname for Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, the professor with Riku's key blade. As usual, Soddy was swift as a whip. The minute anyone gave the signal for class dismissed, his hood went up and he was gone. Sora could only imagine where he needed to go so fast. Over the week he had deducted that the man knew something about Riku that he did not want to tell him. Sora had horrible visions of Soddy limping back to his lair in the heart of one of the peaks behind the school and cranking the real Riku over a cauldron of bubbling water. Was he brandishing the dragon winged key blade to taunt Sora?

"Son of a nutcracker!" Sora cursed when he could not find the man. He looked up at the clock. Five hours till biology club. He bit his lip and glanced around for Roxas and Ari. Ahead, Axel called for everyone to stay in the room. When people started exiting, Xemnas summoned a barrier that blocked them in while Demyx thrummed a single, jarring note on his sitar.

"Because our paychecks are so roomy," Axel announced with a sarcastic snort, "we're all taking you out to eat so you can get to know your classmates. Stay here, because you're about to go for lunch with your homeroom class. Be back in this room at eight o'clock pm tonight to go to dinner with your weapon class, and be IN THIS ROOM at seven forty five tomorrow morning to go to breakfast with your element professor. Free restaurant food, yay! Now, shoo!"

The barrier over the door disintegrated and everyone went out chattering amongst each other. Finally Sora caught sight of Roxas. The boy was speaking with Xemnas about something. For a moment he glanced over at Sora. When he realized Sora was staring back, he smiled and waved. Then he redirected his attention to his elder. Sora fidgeted around until a familiar scowl sounded at his back. When he turned, Ari was digging his foot into the carpet at his side.

"What's up?" asked Sora. Ari shrugged and muttered that he had planned a picnic with Nami.

"Nami?" asked Sora.

"Naminé!" Ari continued. "We were going to get ice cream until this stupid lunch thing happened."

"Like a date?" snapped Sora.

"Well," sighed Ari with pursed lips. "No. Just… to talk."

"Oh," Sora gulped. Ari shrugged. Then he mumbled a gruff goodbye and whipped towards Zexion, Nimo, and a girl with a black bob like Kairi's. Sora bit his lip and furrowed his brows. As Nimo reached out to ruffle Ari's hair, Ari gave a weird duck and muttered something that made Nimo narrow his eyes. As they left, Roxas meandered to Sora's side, wondering out loud how long it would take for Nimo to find out Ari was a fake. Sora gulped and shrugged. Soon, Tifa and Luxord stood at their sides.

"Well, well, well!" Luxord sang, eyeing each of his students with excitement. "Look at all these strapping young warriors!" His eyes settled in particular on Tifa before they trailed to Roxas and Sora. When he finished staring them down, he asked if they knew any good places for lunch. Everyone shrugged. Sora racked his brain. All he knew was the pier restaurant Axel had taken him to that summer and the burger joint in the valley.

"There's a place that sells crêpes near the Teatro de Partida," tried Tifa. Luxord gasped and clapped his hands.

"I love crêpes!" he squealed. He spirited everyone from the grand hall through the forecourt and around the mountain path. They kept walking until they reached the village. Sora glanced up at the concert hall in awe. It looked regal by daylight, with pillars, gargoyles, and impressive spires. Fifty yards down was the Teatro, equally large and equally regal. Sora's heart fluttered as he looked at the long, narrow windows and wrought iron balconies surrounding its ascending floors. Imagining the school drag show in one of its massive auditoriums made him beam. Beside the Teatro stood a tiny shack of a shop with a sign reading, " _Command Board Crêpes!_ " above its front porch, with cute cubby windows and potted plants hanging from the gutters. The building itself was painted sky blue, the roof clay red. The door was white with a border of green flowers.

"The food's good," Tifa muttered gruffly as the sound of a sugary pop song blared across the speakers within.

When the four got inside, they cringed. The place was packed to the brim. All tables were supplied with a bouquet of flowers and some board game involving key blade figurines. Roxas suggested that they get their crêpes to go and sit outside. Luxord sighed in agreement. Then he asked everyone what he or she wanted. Sora was about to go for the triple chocolate extreme when Roxas warned him not to make himself sick. Sora scowled until Luxord said he would split the chocolate extreme with him and get a savory crêpe as well. Once everyone got something, they exited towards a small green lawn in the village center. At this time of day it was largely empty. There was one old man lying on a blanket reading the newspaper, and a few primary school kids ditching class, but other than that, birds and squirrels reigned. Once everyone staked a suitable plot of dirt, Luxord suggested they reintroduce themselves, starting with Roxas.

"My name is Roxas," Roxas repeated flatly. "Weapon is key blade. What else?"

"What's your favorite food?" asked Luxord. Roxas scoffed and asked what Luxord's favorite food was.

"After dinner mints," Luxord responded. "Sora, how about you?"

"Wings," Sora announced. "Spicy chicken wings, like in the microwavable packets."

"Simple pleasures make life better!" sang Luxord. When he asked what Tifa's favorite food was, she shrugged and said crêpes were good. Once the interview session petered to its last breath, Luxord asked if anyone had questions about the structure of classes for that semester. Tifa raised her hand.

"So it's just you and us three?" she asked. "Class rank doesn't matter this year?"

"Last year we weeded out people without potential," Luxord said without remorse. Sora winced as he thought of friends gone. "This year is about getting to know you. Hence the small class size."

"What's your element?" Tifa inquired. To this Luxord responded, "Time." Sora felt his stomach drop.

"Like, timing?" Tifa said. Luxord shook his head.

"Time itself!" he sang. "And my preferred method of doom involves the art of chance. Games of fate- like dice and cards, to be specific. But no more hints!" Luxord asked what they were planning to do with the rest of their day. When they shrugged, he announced that he was giving them homework early. His hand hovered over something in his pocket. All sat with bated breath.

"Hold out your hands," Luxord hissed. When he opened his pocket, it burst with pink smoke. Tifa and Sora yelped and shut their eyes. When they opened them, they were each holding a pack of playing cards.

"What?" Tifa blubbered.

"Cards!" Luxord announced. "Find someone to play Spit with-"

"Spit?" Sora interrupted in horror.

"The game Spit, not the ejection of salivation, Sora," Luxord continued. "Play at least fifty hands, or until one of you loses your cards. Report the winner and who you played with in class on Friday."

When everyone nodded, Luxord clapped his hands and said goodbye. Everyone waved as he left. Then they finished their food and gathered their trash, dumping it on their way back to school. When they reached the forecourt, Tifa parted ways with them. As Roxas and Sora headed back to the boy's dorms, Sora asked if Roxas would play Spit with him. Roxas pursed his lips.

"We'd better do it now," he murmured. "I have to work in the office at six."

"That's fine!" Sora chirped. As Roxas opened their dorm room door, Sora charged to the window to see where the freshmen were. They huddled in a circle around a group of Shinra employees pointing to a portable blackboard with pictures of weapons on it in the forecourt below. Sora giggled when he spotted Naminé. A beacon of white in a sea of color. Roxas hunkered behind him and slipped out his own card pack. It looked much older than Sora's. When Sora asked when Roxas had gotten his, Roxas told Sora to pay attention. Sora nodded and sat before him, trying not to fidget. Roxas divided the stack in two and gave Sora half. Both shuffled.

"Set up is this," Roxas announced, pointing as he worked. He set the first card face up. Then he set four more in a row face down. He moved to the first face down card and put a face up card on top of it. Then he added another face down to the rest of the three rows. This pattern continued until there was a card face up on each of the five stacks. He made Sora set up his own and watched in case he got anything wrong. The leftover cards were divided into two stacks and set to the left of each person's row.

"Do you have any cards of the same value face up?"

Sora glanced over his five face up cards, popping up when he saw he had two threes. Roxas made him set them on top of one another on a newly formed discard pile. The card below the removed three was turned face up.

"Hey, I've got two twos!" Sora cried when he saw the new face up card's numbering. Roxas chuckled and told him to put the twos together in his discard pile. Sora nodded with vigor and turned up the card beneath the two, scowling when it did not match anything else. Roxas had already rearranged all matching cards of his own. He snapped to get Sora's attention.

"Now this is the fast part," he warned. "We each draw a card at the same time."

Roxas slapped Sora's hand when it hovered towards his pile. Sora nodded and drew a card from his own.

"At the same time, Sora," Roxas repeated. Sora nodded and tried setting the card he had drawn back, but Roxas slapped his hand again. They both set their cards down beside each of their piles at the same time. Roxas put down a four and Sora set down a king.

"Like I said, this is the fast part," Roxas reiterated. "We can put a card down on either of each others' drawn cards, but whoever gets to the drawn card first gets to put their card down. You have to set down a card of the value below or above these. So a three, a five, a queen, or an ace. Now, GO!"

Sora squealed and looked through his available cards. When he found matches he slammed them down. When he tried slipping a three below Roxas' approaching five, Roxas slapped his fingers so hard he yelped.

"Cheaters never prosper!" Roxas sang. Sora scowled and stuck his tongue out in concentration, trying to use both of his hands to gather and set down cards.

"One hand, Sora!" Roxas barked, slapping Sora again.

"This game is just an excuse for you to assault me!" Sora snapped. Roxas laughed and winked, cooing that Sora knew he loved him. Sora blushed and mumbled something unintelligible. When no one had any cards to match the two slap stacks, both drew another. Though Sora was getting the hang of it, he realized he had chosen himself a force to be reckoned with. Roxas was lightning fast. That, and Sora had the attention span of a gold fish. Five hands in Roxas only had fifteen cards left.

"I'm going to beat you," he sang with a giggle.

"Stop being a sore winner," Sora muttered. When both set a card at the same time, Sora jumped to his feet and called foul. Roxas collapsed with laughter beside him, throwing his head back as Sora squealed at him.

"That's foul!" Sora cried. "I got there first, that was my card!"

"Have it, Sora, I don't care," Roxas cackled, pointing and howling at Sora's clenched fists and reddening face with glee.

"Stop laughing at me!" Sora whined. When he sat on his bed and folded his arms in front of him, Roxas cooed, "aw," and crawled towards him on all fours, grasping Sora's knees and glancing into his face between.

"Id Sowa angwy?" he cooed, batting his eyelashes. Sora whined and rolled around on his bed. He felt Roxas sit down beside him and lean over him. When Roxas blew in his ear, Sora yelped and batted his face out of the way. Sora turned around just as Roxas tried to pinch him and blew a raspberry at him. He tried to scowl. But Roxas' smile was so disarming. He was so close Sora could see the dusting of warm brown freckles lining his sun kissed cheeks. His honey blond hair shivered as he blew fallen strands from his nose. Sora blushed and scooted farther up his pillow, his chin brushing against Roxas' nose as he moved. Roxas blinked down at him with deep blue eyes and asked what he was thinking. Sora shrugged and muttered, "about losing." Roxas giggled.

"You're just not concentrating," he whispered. He smelled like crêpes. His ash blonde brows furrowed with thought. "Are you thinking of someone?" he asked. Sora stared into his eyes. Then he sniffed and wiped tears from his cheeks. When Roxas saw him crying, he cooed and rubbed his hand along Sora's shoulder, asking what was wrong. Sora covered his face and said he felt like a monster. Roxas snorted. Sora wailed for him to stop laughing.

"I'm a Grade A bimbo," Sora sniffled.

"Who did you make a fool of yourself in front of?" asked Roxas flatly. Sora blushed and hid again, muttering the name into his pillow. Roxas rolled his eyes and shoved Sora around to meet him.

"Naminé!" Sora wailed.

"Oh, gods," Roxas groaned. Sora was so busy wallowing he did not hear a word.

"Have you ever liked someone," he gulped. "So much- that you just turn to jelly when you're around them?"

Roxas blinked before turning away and shrugging. "Sure," he murmured with a frown. "I'm not inhuman. I just… deal with it."

Sora's eyes widened. Roxas scowled and set his hands out in indication, a deep blush assailing his honey cheeks.

"I just keep it in until I know they're… well…" he whined in irritation and ruffled his hands through his hair, starting again with twinkling eyes. "I feel like jelly on the inside," he explained. "But I get past it, because I need to tell them, otherwise I'll just… I don't know… melt."

"I'm melting?" Sora breathed in horror. Roxas asked if he'd asked her on a date yet.

"Are you kidding?" Sora squeaked. "I can't even form a complete sentence around her!"

"You talk just fine around me," Roxas quipped. "What's the difference?"

"You're you!" barked Sora. "And she's… her!"

"She's just a girl, Sora," Roxas intoned. "She won't suck you into her vagina if you get too close."

Sora gasped and stood on his bed, clutching the frame for support. "How dare you talk about Naminé that way!" he panted. Roxas hoisted himself up and dashed the Spit cards aside with his foot.

"It's the truth, Sora!" he snapped. "She's biologically female, right? That means breasts, nipples, a belly button, and a vagina between her legs."

"Oh my gods!" wailed Sora, clutching at his heart and heating nether region at the same time. As he fell against his bed with a whimper, Roxas scooted over and gave him guiding thoughts.

"She has pubic hair," he murmured. Sora wailed into his pillow. "Probably dark blond. When she's Aqua's age it'll crawl down her thighs. Then she'll think about waxing or shaving."

Sora gasped and wrenched his face from his pillow. "Leave Aqua out of this!" he snapped. "I'm confused enough as it is!"

"But less hair means higher chance of infection," resumed Roxas. "Painful, especially during sex."

"Oh, gods," Sora whimpered.

"You move down her stomach past her pubic arch and meet her clitoral hood, the protective covering over a highly sensitive organ containing a massive bundle of nerve endings she stimulates for pleasure."

Sora's cheeks blushed impossibly pinker. Roxas continued without missing a beat.

"Beneath the clitoris is her urethra. If she's healthy she pees from it between six and eight times a day. Then there's her vagina. Bleeds from this once a month to shed dead tissue and eggs. Two to three fingers behind is her anus. Probably shits from it twice a day."

"Roxas," Sora whined.

"And powering all of these functions is blood that pumps from the heart in her chest," Roxas finished, gathering up his cards and returning them neatly to their package. "She's entirely human, Sora. Once you come to terms with this, your life will change forever."

"I know she's human!" Sora snapped. "I just can't see how she would ever like me!"

"Why would she not like you?" asked Roxas. "You're good looking, you're funny, and you're kind."

"Good looking?" Sora peeped. Roxas scowled but chuckled. Sora gnawed at the inside of his cheek.

"But I'm not good at love stuff," he mumbled. "All I know is what I learned in LGBTQ."

"No one is good at love," Roxas muttered.

"What about kissing?" snapped Sora. Roxas snorted and shot Sora an incredulous glance. "You've never kissed anyone, Sora?" he asked.

Sora snapped that he had, but that it had always been accidental. "I don't know the right way," he sniffled. Roxas glanced away from him. Then he shrugged and said he would teach Sora how to kiss if he wanted.

"Really?" Sora cried. Roxas nodded. "But you'd have to kiss me," he murmured. Sora opened and closed his mouth in shock, his cheeks pulsing violet. "Oh," he whispered. He thought of Ari telling him he was taking Naminé on a picnic. He wondered if replicas knew how to kiss. Then he thought of Roxas' freckle dusted cheeks and pink lips. The smell of Axel's hair as he had hugged him that summer.

"It's a good skill to have," he mumbled. Roxas agreed that it was.

"You can teach me," Sora whispered. Roxas' head snapped up. He stared at Sora, as if making sure he was real. "Really?" he gasped. "You're sure?"

Sora hesitated. Then he nodded. Roxas' breath hitched. A thick, almost eternal silence passed between the contact of their glance. As it broke, Roxas padded towards Sora like a panther.

"Well," he started, slipping to Sora's side on the bottom bunk. "First thing is to take your time," he intoned, cracking a sheepish grin. "Then, I guess, I like to build up."

"Build. Up?" Sora squeaked. Roxas nodded and scooted until he was six inches away, leaning in.

"Take your hand and run it along my lips."

Sora nodded with vigor and brought out his trembling hand. When he got it a centimeter before Roxas' mouth, he collapsed in a fit of giggles. Roxas stared forward with jaw set and closed his eyes. When Sora regained composure, Roxas told him to try again. Sora snorted laughter, but he managed to wipe the side of his palm across Roxas' teeth.

"Oh gods," Roxas muttered. Then he gave Sora a small slap on the shoulder. "Serious!" he snapped. Sora shrank and sniffed. Roxas kept his eye. "You're laughing because being serious means you have to feel something!" he intoned. "Be brave!"

"I'm not brave," blubbered Sora. Tears clouded his vision again. Roxas slipped his hands around Sora's cheeks and wiped the moisture away. Then he tickled under Sora's jaw and made him laugh. When he asked Sora to stroke again, Sora nodded and brushed the outside of his hand across Roxas' lips in a light sweep. Roxas nodded. "Now do that with your lips."

"What?" Sora squeaked. Laughter was hitching his throat again.

"It's just like a hand. Just treat it like you're running your hand across my mouth."

"Okay," Sora gulped. Then, sucking in a deep breath, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against Roxas'. When he was finished, Roxas grinned and told him he did a good job. Sora blushed with pride. His heart hammered in his chest.

"Brush again," Roxas said. Sora nodded. When he got to the middle of Roxas' lips, Roxas held him under the chin. He whispered for Sora to rest there a little. Sora nodded and gulped, leaning his lips against Roxas'. Roxas pursed his own and drew back, scratching his head and furrowing his brows. Then he grinned.

"Just do what I do, okay?" he said. "Try mirroring me when I tell you. I'll take my turn first."

Sora nodded and waited. Roxas leaned forward and brushed his lips against Sora's, pulling back. When Sora stared at him, he winked. Sora giggled. Roxas grinned and came back, brushing to the middle of Sora's lips, opening his mouth and turning his head ever so slightly. When he closed his mouth again, he held Sora's lips in his own. When Sora breathed out he sighed. Roxas pulled back and told Sora to mirror him. Sora nodded and fumbled forward, brushing his lips against Roxas' before coming back, turning his head, and supporting Roxas' lips ever so slightly with his own. When he pulled away Roxas sighed and murmured that he was doing well. By now the honey blonde's cheeks were bright pink. The flush was spreading to his chest.

"Now I want you to just mirror exactly what I do," Roxas murmured into Sora's cheek. Sora nodded and breathed heavily. "Does my breath sound like a whale?" he whispered.

"What?" Roxas muttered in confusion.

"Does my breath sound like a beached-"

"Your breath sounds beautiful," Roxas snapped. "Never interrupt a kiss to ask for a critique."

"Okay," Sora breathed. Roxas warned him that he was coming. Sora nodded and scooted forward in anticipation.

To Sora's surprise, Roxas kissed the top of his cheek, near the side of his eye. Then he trailed down Sora's jaw, pressed his lips to his chin, and drew up until he met Sora's lips. Instinctively Sora leaned in. Roxas pushed back and held Sora's lips harder in his own. Then he let go and asked Sora to copy him. Sora pressed his lips against the side of Roxas' face, trailing over a groove that must have been part of a slash scar. When Sora rested on it in curiosity, Roxas whispered for him to keep moving. Sora nodded and kissed further down Roxas' jaw, forgetting to come up his chin when he hit the underside. When Sora reached down to Roxas' collarbone, he furrowed his brows.

"I think," he muttered.

"It's fine," Roxas sighed. When Sora's puzzlement moved into the domain of mental malfunction, Roxas snapped for him to go up again. "No talking while mirroring," he added as Sora's lips parted from his chest.

Sora nodded and moved back up Roxas' neck until he reached the tip of his chin. When he returned to the boy's lips, Roxas clutched the rim of his shirt with hunger. They held each other for several moments. Then, as if mounting a bicycle after years out of practice, Sora moved alongside his companion's touch, curling his head to the opposite side so he could be closer to the boy. Thinking lost importance. All that flickered through his mind was how warm he felt, how close he was, how his skin prickled as Roxas' fingers moved like water up his arms. Roxas and Sora clutched at each other's lips and drew back and forth in waves, Roxas whispering within each shallow breath. When Sora realized he was telling him to slow down, he nodded and held the boy's lips harder. Fighting a chuckle, Roxas curled his head away. Sora clasped him around the waist, melting closer. When the honey blond broke off completely, Sora slipped and fell against his chest. Both of them gasped for breath. Sora could feel Roxas' hammering heart beneath the fabric of his shirt. He radiated heat. Sora settled into it and glanced lazily into Roxas' eyes. Above him the blond nodded.

"G-great, Sora," he stuttered, his eyes fluttering closed as he chuckled. "Lesson two. Just do what you want and I'll tell you if I like it. Then you tell me if you like what I'm doing."

"Okay," Sora snapped, so eager he nearly jumped into Roxas' lap. Roxas leaned back against the bedframe and rubbed at his forehead.

"Oh, yeah," he sighed. "Arms. Well, maybe that can be day, uh, two or something."

"No, no, today," Sora breathed, leaning so close he nearly toppled Roxas over. Roxas chuckled and pushed him back so he could sit up.

"Okay," he whispered once he had puled himself together. "We can practice the start of the kiss. Just listen to me, Sora," he warned when Sora got so close their noses touched. Sora nodded and backed away, folding his arms before him in feigned patience. Roxas gave his disarming, warm grin and wrapped his arms around Sora's waist. The breath hitched in Sora's throat. His skin felt sensitive, like Roxas was tickling him. He licked his lips without helping it. Roxas blushed at him. Then he leaned in.

"Look into my eyes," he whispered. Sora did. They were pools of deep, dark blue. Sora felt his blush spreading. His whale breath rattled unbroken from the depths of his gut. He surrendered to it with an internal groan. Roxas' breath whirred and gusted against his lips like warm, sweet summer. Sora's eyes fluttered closed as he leaned closer.

"Sora, open your eyes," Roxas chuckled softly. Sora forced his eyes open, but he found his top lids drooped whenever he stared at Roxas too long.

"You falling asleep?" Roxas asked.

"No," Sora whined. "I just want to get started."

"Me too," Roxas ceded. There was something uncharacteristic in his voice: sheepish, giddy, almost babyish in its admission. Like the whisper of a naughty child, scared but thrilled of being caught. Something new in Sora reached out to hold the stranger. Suddenly Roxas leaned so close that his and Sora's noses touched. He glanced from Sora's lips to his eyes, letting his long, ash blond lashes flutter. Sora did the same, but found it harder to tear his glance from Roxas' pulsing lips. When he forced his gaze back into Roxas' the boy leaned forward and pecked him. Sora pecked back, ever so slightly. Roxas' eyes crinkled and shone.

"I like it," he sighed.

"Me too," Sora ceded. Roxas' breath shuddered as he bent forward and kissed him harder. Sora returned the favor with a whimper. Roxas pulled Sora towards him until the younger boy settled on his lap. Sora curled his legs around Roxas' body and pressed himself towards him. He felt the space between his legs changing, brushing something hard. It was so sensitive it hurt. Roxas clutched Sora's back and drew his lips along Sora's low forehead. When Roxas' chin glanced Sora's lips, the boy pecked it. Roxas sucked the bottom of Sora's ear. Sora moaned loud.

"I like it," he whined, gasping at the tingling sensation that moved from his ear to his collar. "Roxas, I like it."

Roxas sucked his lobe harder, chuckling into Sora's ear when the boy whimpered again. Sora nuzzled towards him with mouth wide open, trying in vain to capture the boy's lips again. When Roxas could not take it any longer, he clamped his own around Sora's and stroked his hands through the boy's hair. Sora's eyes flew open as he gasped. He kissed Roxas back, reciprocating until their lips crashed against each other. His hands clutched the sides of Roxas' jacket for dear life as Roxas' fingers slithered up the inside of his shirt. His fingertips dug into the small of Sora's back, sending a piercing sensation from the brunette's spine to the tips of his toes. Sora's heart lurched as he bucked towards Roxas' waist, wailing as the stiffness between his legs hit the hardness against Roxas' stomach and burst with a tight, tingling sensation. His mind barely had time to register the fact that his thighs were shaking. His teeth would have chattered as well had his lips not been wrapped around Roxas'. Roxas gasped in delight and reached his hands around Sora's trembling thighs, squeezing. When a giddy, lurching feeling fluttered through Sora's entire torso and pooled around the hollow of his pelvis, he threw back his head and groaned, panting as Roxas planted heavy drops along his neck. His fingers curled around Roxas' shoulder and ran through the boy's hair as he kissed the top of his head. When he opened his mouth to groan again, Roxas bit his neck hard. Sora shrieked.

Someone was hammering against the dorm room door. Roxas and Sora stared at each another. Then they burst to opposite beds and readjusted themselves. Roxas asked in a hoarse voice who the fuck was there as Sora tried patting the blush from his cheeks.

"You guys playing tag or something?" barked the voice of Ari from outside. "I forgot my keys noobadoobers, let me in!"

Roxas gave a vicious snarl and pitched himself from his covers. "Someday I'm going to kill that fucker," he hissed. The childish, mischievous impulsivity that had ruled his actions five minutes ago was dead. Polished, focused acrimony spirited him in a straight line from his mattress to the door. When he wrenched its knob towards him, Ari blustered past and gathered together his toiletries. For some reason he was soaking wet.

"What happened?" Sora inquired through a throaty moan. Roxas jolted, glancing at him with wide eyes as Sora clamped his hands over his mouth in horror. He had meant for it to come out in a normal, curious manner, not as a whale mating call. Luckily, Ari was hardly paying attention.

"Fell into the river," he muttered. "Walking along a Cliffside. Lost my footing and tumbled in. Ruined Naminé's new dress."

"Did she come to save you?" Roxas hissed. Ari looked at him in a wounded way.

"Now you're angry with me, too?" he scowled as he returned to finding new clothes. "We were talking about ways I could be a more convincing fake. I started crying like a baby. Then we were both in and she was screaming that her pens had burst in her purse. I'm having a wash to get the stench of bog juice off. See you guys fish side." With a slam of the door, he was gone.

All organic life within the room lay frozen. When the echo of a slamming exit door railed through the hall and Ari's stomping footsteps sank to nothing, Roxas and Sora glanced towards each other in disbelief. Then, Roxas collapsed on Sora's bunk and ran his hands through his hair, letting his feet dangle against the floor.

"Minerva," he breathed, feeling his cheeks and lips. Sora did the same, giggling from nervousness. Roxas rolled onto his stomach and peered up at him. The wonderful flicker had not gone after all. It glinted in his eyes as he grinned.

"You're a natural," he murmured. "Naminé won't know what hit her." Sora shrugged, muttering that maybe his and Roxas' lips just worked the same way. Roxas' cheeks glowed a brilliant, coral pink as he beamed. Sora had the urge to run over and kiss them. Somehow he stayed his impulses and smiled instead. His brows furrowed.

"Maybe, do you think that, um," he gulped. "That you could keep teaching me when you have time?"

"Sure!" Roxas chirped like a whip. "I'll make time."

"Don't change your schedule just because of me," Sora responded. "Only, only if you really are okay with it."

"I'm fine with it, Sora," Roxas breathed. "Like you said, it's a good skill to have."

Sora nodded through a wheezy chuckle, digging his glance sharp into his feet. When he was brave enough to glance up again, his gape reflected in the glass face of the clock above the desk.

"We kissed for half an hour," he said in disbelief. Roxas snorted in amusement as he leaned back.

"Gods, it's been ages since I've even had sex that long," he whispered. "I forgot how much I miss this."

"Maybe you can tell me all the sexy stuff, later," Sora added.

"Excuse me?" Roxas croaked.

"Like, the terms and stuff," blubbered Sora. "Like, the stuff I don't know."

"Oh," Roxas sighed. "Oh, of course. But, I'll only explain it when we- when we need it."

"Okay," Sora smiled. Suddenly he coughed and grabbed his books and pencil case. "I- I've got biology in thirty minutes," he stuttered as he froze like a dolt in the center of the room. "So, uh, I'm going to go eat. Because I'm hungry."

"Eating is important," Roxas responded. More silence. Sora grinned and thanked him again. Then he pressed out of the room and sauntered down the hall. As he burst through the fire escape and sped through the stairwell towards the second floor, a grin broke across his cheeks. Soon he was covering his mouth and giggling. When he saw his reflection in the small glass window leading to the exit by the great hall, he started. Then, sucking in a deep breath and gusting it out to regain control, he pushed through the door and sauntered for the food aisle. Sometimes, these days, he had serious trouble recognizing himself.

~X~

* * *

 **A/N: Ah... new skills, new revelations... and Ari takes the award for cock block of the day. How will all these developments change the Academy, now?**

 **Dear readers, don't get too complacent, there will be lots of twists and turns! No one has mentioned one brewing close to the surface right now, so I'll assume you're all in the dark about it... and questions from the last installment are being brushed upon but left unanswered for a little while longer...**

 ** _FOLLOW, FAV, AND REVIEW!_**


	14. Heart to Heart

~X~

 _ **Chapter Fourteen**_

~X~

"Look who's on top of the game!" Luxord sang as he leaned against a snow-white pillar spiraling from the ground to the ceiling above. They were in one of the basement studios, which, up until two weeks ago, Sora did not know existed. There were sixteen studios in all, four for each basement floor. Up until last week most of them had been filled with memory pods, the smallest of which were now being stored in the school attic. This chamber was roomy, barren, and sparkling, sterile white with hazy lavender designs along the borders of its floor and walls. The brightness made Sora wince every time he entered. Now he rubbed at his eyes in exhaustion, narrowly missing a massive, exploding card with a fiery red mark on its underside.

"Don't squander your time," Luxord warned as Sora tripped over the toe of his boot. Tifa burst from his side and sent a fist straight for Luxord's head, shrieking as he transformed into a card with a picture of himself on it and slithered across the floor. As his card rotated around each of the students' feet, it divided until there were twenty copies slithering around the arena. Roxas watched their flat printed backs like a cat ready to pounce. Then, when one particular card slipped up to meet him, he swung through it with his key blade and Luxord popped back into view. As the man teetered in surprise Roxas tore his key blade in two and rammed the man like lightning. Luxord yelped and flew through the air, crying, "play by the rules, Roxas!"

With that, Roxas disappeared in a puff of smoke. When the mist cleared, he was replaced by a massive, six faced die. Tifa and Sora glanced towards one another in horror as Luxord broke into laughter behind them.

"Good!" the man sang. Then he walked towards them with a flurry of tiny, razor sharp gray cards fluttering behind. "Protect Roxas or the game ends!"

Roxas' helpless visage upended on one of the die's faces then rolled beneath him as he hopped and tottered around the field. Luxord attempted to crack his card posse at Roxas' back like a whip, but even as a bumbling cube, Roxas was fast. Tifa laughed as she watched him. Then, she and Sora remembered what they were supposed to be doing. They lurched forward and guarded Roxas' sides as Luxord attempted to come at him. Usually, when Luxord trapped them in card or die form, it took them five minutes to return to normal. But as five minutes turned to six, seven, and eight, Tifa and Sora glanced towards one another in terror.

"What happened to playing by the rules?" snapped Tifa. Luxord laughed and clapped from the other side of the room.

"The rules change to suit the player!" he sang, letting out a loud, "oof!" as Roxas rammed into him from behind. While Luxord was knocked down, Tifa and Sora barreled over and assailed him with several more hits. Unfortunately, Sora was not as fast as his classmates. When Luxord sent a massive retaliatory attack their way, he was too slow to dodge. Crying out as the cards sliced through him, he stumbled away and cast cure. A shadow fell over his back. When he turned, Luxord was right behind him.

"Do you know the rules?" he intoned. Sora's shoulders fell.

Behind Luxord rose four of the biggest cards Sora ever laid eyes on. On them rotated exes and o's. Sora waited with a gulp to pick the right card. He settled on the third. Before he could tap it, it switched from a red O to a black X. Sora whimpered. Luxord rumbled laughter and shouted "good!" Against Sora's will, he was turned into a person sized playing card with a picture of himself on it.

Tifa glanced around helplessly as Luxord attacked her from all sides. She attempted to protect Roxas and Sora at the same time, but in the end it turned into a joint effort between herself and Roxas, as Sora turned useless in anything but human form. When he finally switched back, he gasped and cast cure. Tifa cried out as she was knocked to the ground. Then, a terrible ringing sound erupted throughout the chamber, the lights dimmed, and Luxord's cards disappeared.

"It looks like you ran out of time," he sighed in satisfaction, rearranging his gloves on his fingers. Tifa and Sora gritted their teeth. A clacking sound crept up behind them. When they turned, they noticed that Roxas was still a massive rolling die. Tifa commanded Luxord to turn him back. Luxord asked for the magic word.

"Please!" cried Sora. Luxord cackled and snapped his fingers. Roxas puffed out of a pillar of smoke behind him and collapsed in exhaustion to the ground. As he attempted standing, Luxord patted his honey blond head.

"Now, I know you want your dear friends to win, Roxas," he cooed. "But you must learn to let them fight for themselves."

Roxas scowled, muttering that he did not like seeing people played with. Luxord shrugged and glanced at his watch with a cry.

"Ah, woe to us!" he sang, touching his hand to his heart and sniffing through his fabulous goatee. "Our time together, like all good things, has come to an end!"

"Good," Roxas muttered. Luxord shot him a nasty glance before throwing his head back and sighing again. When he was finished basking, he trudged to the stack of shelves at the room's edge and fiddled around for his briefcase. When he found it, he emptied out a stack of papers and gave a packet to each of his students.

"Apparently teachers must quiz their novices," he said dully. "Memorize these and we'll get it over with tomorrow."

"You want us to memorize this whole list by tomorrow?" cried Tifa. Luxord scowled and amended that they would quiz the day after tomorrow.

"How about giving us a week?" asked Roxas. Luxord reeled in indignation, muttering wildly to himself. Then, with another prolonged sigh he murmured that Roxas knew more about the cognitive arts than he did.

"Fine!" he announced. "A week, and then quizzed you shall be!"

The bells in the school spires gonged to signal the end of second period. Luxord clapped his hands and told the students to run along. As Sora said goodbye to Roxas and Tifa and turned to leave, Luxord clapped him on the shoulder and asked if he could speak with him for a moment. When he got Sora alone, he folded his hands and set them to his lips, thinking. Then he clutched Sora's shoulders and beamed.

"I fear you are becoming discouraged with the fate of the cards," he murmured. Sora blinked in surprise and said he was fine.

"You seem to fall brain dead when the battle begins," Luxord murmured. "I was so excited to instruct you after hearing of your battle with Riku last semester."

Sora's heart fell. He muttered with a blush that he had been told he fought stupid when he got scared.

"Fear not, Sora!" cried Luxord in return, gripping him harder. "All hope is not lost! You are no deck with half its cards!"

"Thanks," muttered Sora. Luxord beamed.

"Take for instance, the way Roxas uses his key blades," he said, pointing to an empty space at the center of the studio as if pointing to the boy himself. "Watch his body as he moves. Then, watch his eyes. It's all there. An intuitive connection to the blades. Stealth, patience, intelligence. If you could find it in you, Sora, you would be unstoppable!"

"Yeah," Sora murmured, blushing as he pictured Roxas' deep, determined blue gaze. Then he said goodbye to Luxord and headed up to the elevators. To his surprise, Roxas and Tifa were waiting for him, leaning against the side of the electrical room door in deep discussion. When they saw Sora coming, Tifa grinned and waved. Roxas smiled and glanced towards the ground. Sora could not help but skip towards them.

"Thanks for waiting, guys!" he chirped.

"What was Luxord talking about?" asked Tifa. Sora shrugged.

"Just saying how booty I was."

As the word left Sora's mouth, he winced. He was taking too many cues from Ari these days.

"Aw, you're not… terrible," said Tifa with a consoling smile. Sora ignored her and pressed the up button, muttering that he got so nervous in timed events.

"I just hate it," he whined. "Why does he have to time us? There's not going to be a count down every time we battle someone in the real world!"

"This is the real world," snapped Roxas. "And you need to be able to do well under pressure."

"Well, how do you do it, Mr. Wise Guy?" barked Sora. Roxas shrugged and winked, murmuring that he fought knowing he would win.

"What about when you lose?" asked Tifa.

"I don't know I'm going to lose until I do," Roxas returned. Tifa pursed her lips and nodded in thought. The elevator doors rattled open just as a swarm of fellow juniors traipsed their way. Soon the trio was being pressed into the back of the elevator by swaths of students and Organization employees, chattering and talking. Nobody seemed to care when the contraption groaned under their weight. It was a slow ride up. But when the doors opened to the first floor, the swarm spilled out like water. Sora, Tifa, and Roxas barely managed it out alive.

"Where are you off to, Sora?" Tifa asked.

"Biology," Sora responded. Tifa nodded, muttering that at least you only needed four semesters of science. Sora furrowed his brows, remembering that he had not taken a single science credit last year. He shivered when he wondered how much math was needed. At least he had started off his English dues with Poetry. He said goodbye to Tifa and Roxas at the entrance to the great hall. Then he parted towards the laboratory on the corridor end. When he slipped inside, Vexen was already slapping vacuum bags filled with formaldehyde-bloated animals on the metals trays lining the lab tables. Sora's stomach lurched as he looked into one of the creature's dead eyes, coated in a thick, milky layer of plastic and ooze. Across the room Tidus attempted not to be sick in the classroom sink. When Sora patted him on the back, he gulped back a retch and croaked hello.

"Seen better days?" Sora asked.

"When I wrote my favorite animal was a Moomba," Tidus gulped, "I didn't mean I wanted to stick a knife into it."

"To discover a creature's innermost folds is to peek into the secret of life," Vexen murmured behind, as if in a trance. Then he slammed a rather large vacuumed Moomba right before Tidus' fingers. The little boy wailed and clapped his hands over his face as he glanced upon it, yelping in fright when Vexen patted him on the back.

"You shall be his transportation to the nurse," Vexen muttered a little close to Sora's ear for comfort. Sora nodded and backed away so Vexen could take the rest of the pickled Moombas to the supply closet. When Ari blundered in he was forced to assist him. Once everyone had trickled to a table and sighed in dejection at the blackboard, which read, _"Wednesday: Staring into the Heart of the Moomba"_ in big, scratchy block letters, Vexen clapped his hands and told them to take their seats. Sora shared a table with Tidus, Ari, and a kid with a tail named Zidane. Across the room sat Kairi and Selphie with two girls Sora did not know.

"Can all our Advanced Biology students raise their hands?"

A table and a half of students raised their hands. One housed the remaining collection of school sociopaths. The other held two students who listened to Vexen with rapt attention. All were survivors, as last year's biology teacher had been Rosso the Crimson. When Vexen finished counting he explained the Moomba lab aims and asked everyone to copy their hypotheses on a fresh page of notebook paper. Once they were finished, everyone changed into appropriate dissection attire and prepared to unsheathe the Moombas.

"Masks on," sang Vexen, scalpel at the ready over a packaged Moomba belonging to a particularly frightened group of first years. "This could get smelly."

Everyone forced their masks up and opened the packages on the count of three. Cries of disgust rose through the room as the stench of preserved flesh pierced the air. An advanced student turned on the fans. Vexen commanded everyone to divide jobs, entreating one student from each table to slide their Moomba from the packaging to its metal tray.

"Tidus, if you don't slip him out, you'll have to cut into him or something," Sora whispered. Tidus stared down at their Moomba with trembling lip. When Ari offered to unpackage it, Tidus squeaked dissent and scooted towards it himself. Gulping, he peeled off the disposable slip covering the opening and winced as he grabbed one of the Moomba's soggy ears. When it slid out with a sickly thud against the metal tray, he jumped away and folded his hands behind his back. Soon, Vexen was at their table again.

"Have we made external observations yet?" he asked. Sora, Zidane, and Tidus blinked towards each other in hesitation. Ari leaned forward and pressed open the Moomba's eyes, lips, and ears without any trouble.

"Dunno, guess it looks like a normal dead critter," he muttered.

"Wrong," Vexen responded. He pressed his metal pointer towards the animal's feet. "Remnants of a badly infected cut in the webbing between two of its paws." Then he tapped its anus. "Millimeter long hemorrhoids due to pregnancy."

"Pregnancy?" wailed Tidus. Vexen nodded, oblivious to his growing horror.

"I just thought it was fat," remarked Ari. As Vexen gave the replica a forbidding look, Sora clamped his hand to his forehead in exasperation.

"Signs of water retention in the ankles and wrists, and a cataract in the left eye indicating possible blindness."

"Damn," sighed Zidane. "This Moomba went through some shit."

"I am surprised that none of you caught even a whiff of that shit," responded Vexen darkly. When Ari snorted out loud, Sora slapped him on the arm. But it was too late. Vexen was standing with his nose perched high, demanding that Tidus start the dissection.

"He opened the bag," tried Zidane.

"I can cut into the critter," said Ari.

Tidus stifled a sob.

"B-but, s-she's pr-p-re-pregnant!" he wailed.

"Yes, and she has also been dead for three months."

"Two critters for the price of one," said Ari as he clapped his hands. Zidane scooted his chair several centimeters away. Sora pleaded with Vexen to let someone else do the cutting.

"Wonderful," Vexen snipped. "Sora will do the cutting."

"Me?" cried Sora.

"Aw, nuggets," scowled Ari. Zidane's chair squeaked as it scooted several more centimeters.

"The next person to complain will lose fifty points on the assignment," Vexen thundered, nearly knocking Tidus from his seat. "If this creature is not incised within five minutes, your grades will go down twenty points each!"

"For the class, or the day?" asked Zidane.

"It depends on how fast Sora cuts the bloody thing!" snapped Vexen. With that, he was gone. Sora gulped and glanced into each of his group members' eyes. Then he took up the scalpel and pressed it towards the Moomba's navel. As the scalpel bounced off the animal's fur, Sora gave a strange laugh and shrugged.

"Guess it doesn't work."

"You're just not pressing hard enough!" Ari snapped. He clamped his hands around Sora's fingers and jammed the scalpel right through the Moomba's belly button with a pop. An ear splitting screech pierced the air. A chair groaned and something hard and big thumped to the ground. When Sora swiveled around to see what it was, he groaned and clamped his hands to his cheeks. Tidus was sprawled across the tile stomach down, whimpering in his sleep. By the time Vexen asked what in gods' names was going on, the entire class was already huddled around the boy's fainted form. When Vexen caught sight of him as well, he sighed and scratched his head.

"Well… yes, I did anticipate this would happen," he muttered. Then he indicated Sora. "Take him to the nurse. Your tablemates will continue the experiment in your stead. You and your weak hearted companion should return by the time the Moomba is completely disemboweled. I shall be back to assist in making further observations and conclusions."

Sora nodded and patted Tidus' cheek as the rest of the class dispersed. When the boy finally awoke, he propped himself up on his elbows and asked what happened. Sora murmured that he was taking him to the nurse.

"Did I faint?" Tidus wailed. Sora gripped him under the arms and hoisted him up, teetering with him towards and out the classroom door. Tidus clung to the wall as he trudged. Sora pursed his lips as he looked at him. The boy did seem rather pale, even a tad green.

"Did anyone see?" Tidus gulped, blinking at a speed far below normal.

"No," Sora lied.

"Really?"

"Well, a few may have noticed."

"Oh, Sora," Tidus sobbed, hiding his face behind his arm as he cried. Sora rubbed his back the way Axel had for him during the summer, rotating in circles of varying sizes.

"It's okay," Sora cooed.

"I'm just dumb and weak," Tidus wailed in return. "I can't even make it through combat class without crying. How am I ever going to be a hero?"

"I felt the same way last year," Sora consoled. "Things got better." Although the sentiment rang true, he dearly hoped Tidus would escape the grief he had been subjected to his first semester. As the memories filtered through his mind, he winced.

"I don't get this place at all!" Tidus wailed. "Selphie's always hanging with Kairi and Wakka's not here and Riku is weird and people push me in the showers and nobody wants to be my friend."

"I'm your friend!" said Sora.

"But we're only in two clubs together!" blubbered Tidus.

"I heard Roxas saying the last day to switch clubs is coming up," Sora tried. "I'm in LGBTQ! You should join, too! It's a lot of fun!"

"Is that the two-one club?" Tidus muttered with wrinkled nose. Sora blinked in shock, blubbering that it was much more than that.

"You find out so much about yourself!" he beamed. "And you meet people who are different than you, and stand together, and embrace your sexuality!"

At the mere intonation of the word "sex," Tidus went beet red and clamped his hands over his throat. His forehead creased so deep his brows formed a unibrow.

"I don't know, Sora," he murmured, struggling to form a complete thought. "To me it kind of, well, I don't know. Kind of sounds like an excuse to do whatever you like."

Sora reeled, stepping back a few paces in disbelief. He peered into Tidus' eyes to see if he was joking. When he grew sure the boy was not, he pursed his lips and glanced down.

"Well, queer people would not see it that way…" he mumbled.

"Yeah, they're weird!" Tidus said fast. "I don't know. There just wasn't anyone like that on Destiny Islands!"

"What about the two-ones?" asked Sora. Tidus scoffed and said that that was ritual.

"It's like, becoming a woman!" he said. "You can't be a guy and love a guy at the same time, you know?"

Sora gulped and furrowed his brows. Suddenly he was back in LGBTQ class with Coco the week after the Avenida party, sobbing and wondering if he was still male after what Vanitas had done to him. As he forced the image from his mind, he muttered that things weren't that simple.

"Gender is separate to sexuality," he mumbled. "I dressed up in drag for LGBTQ and really liked it."

"I don't know," Tidus interrupted in discomfort. "That- that was something that made Wakka want to leave."

"What?" Sora gasped, staring at Tidus with an open mouth. The boy put his hands over his head as if in surrender.

"I don't know!" he wailed. "That's just what he said! He said he thought people were making you do certain stuff and forcing you to be a certain way when you weren't! That's why he wanted you to come home!"

"Well maybe if Wakka had tried talking to the people he thought were forcing me to "be a certain way," he would have seen that they were the only ones who actually cared about my wellbeing!" Sora blustered. Tidus' face scrunched up with tears as he mumbled that maybe the people here didn't know as much as Sora thought they did.

"Well maybe Wakka doesn't know as much as he thinks he does either," snapped Sora. "How about them apples?"

"I don't know!" Tidus sniffed, stamping his foot. "I don't want to talk about this! I feel like I'm going to throw up. I keep seeing the dead Moomba." Then he stormed off to the nurse by himself, refusing to look back when Sora called his name. Sora blinked at his receding form in stupor. Then he turned around and trudged towards biology alone. When he passed the stairwell by the great hall, he jumped in shock.

Standing at the top step with his dark hand clenched around the banister, was Soddy. His orange eyes blinked down at Sora in surprise. Sora whipped his glance away with a scowl. When he tried continuing to the classroom, Soddy called out his name. Sora turned with narrowed eyes. Soddy stared at him for a moment. Then he cracked a semblance of a smile.

"I could not help but overhear your conversation with Tidus," the looming man murmured.

"You were listening in?" asked Sora, wondering how to successfully toe the line of insubordination. Soddy stepped closer.

"I understand the way Tidus feels," he insisted. "I imagine you must have felt some fraction of the same way yourself, when you left home. With experience, you changed. Perhaps what Tidus needs most is time. Destiny Islands, after all, can be a prison for those who feel… different."

"What would you know about Destiny Islands?" Sora scoffed, looking Soddy up and down with what he hoped was an intimidating glare. When he turned to leave, Soddy did not stop him. The man stood in silence at the top stair beside the great hall as Sora slammed into the biology classroom, hand clamped against the banister like glue. His piercing glance stayed rooted on where Sora had stood.

~X~

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 **A/N: Thanks ForsakenXIII for your review! Just you wait!**

 **Just in case anyone was wondering,** **"Two-One" is Destiny Islands' Third Gender, like the fa'afafine in Samoa. These m** **en live as women for ritualistic purposes. Like Destiny Islands' musical tastes, the country is a lil' behind in the way they view gender and sexuality.** **Land of Departure is based off South America, specifically Santuario de las Lajas in Colombia, and Bolivia and Peru.**

 _ **FOLLOW, FAV, AND REVIEW!**_


	15. Kissing Lessons

**A/N: Wow! Guest R12, welcome back! T.T such wonderful reviews... thank you to unnamed Guest and ForsakenXIII for your passionate vigilance as well. Merry Christmas Eve Eve! (for some reason I almost wrote "Even"... lol, Vexen at it again)**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Fifteen_**

~X~

Roxas and Sora were kissing again. He had promised Sora three hours a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from six to seven pm, when they were sure the replica would be eating dinner with Naminé. Sora had still not drawn up the courage to ask her on a date. Whenever he saw her in the halls, his legs would go weak, he would sway, and he would invariably spout some sort of gibberish or a sound barely admissible as human. These ejaculations usually ended with running for dear life- somewhere, anywhere that put him at least twenty feet from his crush. But right now, Naminé was miles from his thoughts. As Sora sat with his tongue running along the top of Roxas' lips, he fluttered his eyelashes and tried not to moan.

"Stop holding in, Sora," breathed Roxas against his cheek. "You look like you're going to spit lava."

"Sorry," Sora groaned, blushing when Roxas chuckled.

"Moaning is cute," Roxas whispered into Sora's jaw. Sora whimpered that moaning was not very manly.

"Fuck manly," Roxas snarled into his collar.

"Don't girls like men," Sora asked, yelping when Roxas nipped him just beneath the clavicle. When the blond glanced into Sora's eyes, his bottom lip clung to the skin of Sora's pinking chest.

"What is man?" he cooed. "But an image? An ideal? Don't they teach you that in LGBTQ?" he added. Sora squirmed from Roxas' grip and sat up, pushing Roxas' face up to meet his. The boy gave him such a disarming grin that Sora shut his mouth and planted their lips together again, whimpering and blushing as their heads turned, side-to-side, lips and noses rotating in orbit of one another. When Sora's mouth opened wide, Roxas swept his tongue across the tip of Sora's. Sora froze mid breath, flying his eyes open. Roxas kept his glance. Sora blinked and moved closer, narrowing his eyes and touching his tongue to Roxas' with another tentative swipe. Roxas giggled. Then he closed his eyes and caught Sora's lips again, caressing and holding them with his own. When Sora's eyes closed and his mouth opened wider, Roxas sighed and glanced his tongue over Sora's again. In response Sora pushed his tongue forward and hit it off Roxas' gums, making the boy spew laughter.

"What did I do wrong?" Sora blustered as Roxas' face crumpled into his lap. When Roxas rose for air, he wiped his eyes and apologized for laughing.

"Your tongue isn't a knife, Sora," he stuttered. "If you were trying to impale me, you were getting there."

"Well you're the teacher!" Sora whined, scooting away and folding his hands in front of him in embarrassment. Roxas sighed and pinched him on the hip, making him fidget and blush harder. When Roxas tickled his earlobe with his breath and pecked at it with soft kisses, Sora caved and leaned towards him. Roxas held up his hand. Sora mirrored.

"Run your tongue across my hand," Roxas murmured. Sora licked Roxas' hand with the flat of his tongue.

"Tip," Roxas intoned. Sora pouted and sliced the tip across Roxas' knuckles.

"Softer," Roxas said. "Imagine my hand is ice cream."

"That's a dangerous image," Sora responded through a grin. Roxas rolled his eyes and said he could handle anything Sora threw at him.

"Just try," Roxas said. "Close your eyes."

Sora did. When he heard the crinkle of covers as Roxas moved close, he giggled in anticipation, scrunching up his nose and cinching his chin towards his chest. Roxas scowled at his side, saying he had barely moved.

"Imagine the ice cream. It's a cone. Strawberry."

"Chocolate," Sora amended.

"Of course it's chocolate," Roxas said flatly. "It's a cone of chocolate ice cream, no accessories. Creamy. It's melting. This next part is going to go against your nature. You actually decide to savor it."

"Bite it," Sora grinned.

"No," Roxas warned. "There's a coating of warm liquid over the frozen cream beneath. You glance away the liquid with your tongue. If you don't remove the liquid, the frozen cream beneath will melt. But if you tongue too hard and lather the frozen cream with spit, it will melt faster. Picture that, and I'll tell you how you're doing."

Sora furrowed his brows and concentrated on the image. When he found Roxas' hand, he gave it a gentle kiss. Then he opened his mouth, got his chocolate ice cream cone fixed in his mind, and ran his tongue across Roxas' knuckles in a soft, gentle stroke.

"Good, Sora," Roxas sighed. "That's great. Just do it again, softer."

Sora nodded and stroked Roxas' knuckles in a soft sweep.

"Harder," Roxas murmured. Sora complied.

"Only go harder if it's right," Roxas explained in a gust. "It's like intervals. First a soft touch. Check the eyes to see if they like it. Then hold them with your lips. Check back. And so forth until… well… whatever."

"So keep checking in?" asked Sora, his eyes still closed.

"Exactly," Roxas explained. "Try it with me."

Sora nodded and opened his eyes. He and Roxas looked at one another.

"See where my eyes move, Sora," Roxas whispered. Roxas held his glance. Then, he broke it and looked to Sora's lips. He licked his own. He looked down Sora's chest, settling around his navel. Then he returned Sora's glance. Roxas' gaze moved further down. Sora folded his hands in front of his lap. Roxas pointed to his palms immediately.

"See, I know you got uncomfortable," the blond murmured. "You're covering your dick because I stared at it."

"Am I?" Sora croaked. Roxas nodded and held his glance again. Suddenly, Sora felt a strange sensation creep between his thighs. It was a hot, soft feeling, as if a warm towel were being laid over him. Something like it had happened the first time he and Roxas kissed. Today, for some reason, it was stronger. Sora gulped. His blush was crawling to his chest. He felt every inch it crept. The skin of his legs prickled as if their hairs stood on end. Were his thighs blushing, too?

"If you leaned back or looked away," Roxas said, "I would stop. But you leaned in slightly. You cocked your head to the side and glanced up at me from beneath your eyelashes. And you're blushing. So I'm good to go."

"S-so, those are signs to look for?" Sora gulped. Roxas nodded. His freckle-dusted face broke with another grin. An itch was curling in the bottom of Sora's throat. Certain parts of his body pulsed as if thousands of infinitesimal hearts beat under the skin. He could not stop staring at Roxas' lips, his eyes, and his coral cheeks. With each new piece he settled on, the knot in his chest grew tighter.

"Do it with me," Roxas breathed.

"What?" Sora gasped. Roxas furrowed his brows.

"Do the exercise!" he said. "Try seeing if I like it. Go."

Sora fumbled through a nod. They started again. Sora watched Roxas. Roxas glanced away from him. Towards the window, the floor, the covers. He picked at his arm. He leaned away. Sora's stomach twisted.

"You seem disinterested," Sora mumbled. Roxas clapped.

"Excellent! Now, again."

Roxas' eyes swept straight to Sora's, carrying down before settling on his lips. His cheeks went rosy. Without thinking Sora leaned forward and brushed his lips against Roxas'. Roxas furrowed his brows and looked away, chuckling and picking at his arm, as if confused. Sora waited for him with determination. Soon Roxas looked at him again, from beneath his lashes. Sora scooted towards him. Their knees brushed against each other over the covers. He glanced down Roxas' lips. Roxas looked at his. His mouth opened slightly. Sora gulped and leaned forward, staring into Roxas' eyes when their lips were a millimeter away. The blond's sweet breath broke against his cheeks. When he leaned forward again, he brushed against Roxas' lips by accident. Immediately, Roxas caught him and held him. A prickle sliced from Sora's lips to his jaw. He broke away in surprise. Roxas stared as if goading him. Sora felt heat spread further through him. His heart and skin hammered. His cheeks burned. His teeth chattered. He exhaled and took Roxas' lips in his own. When Roxas' eyes closed, he closed his. Soon they were together, rotating, back and forth, side to side, their lips curving over one another, sucking, pinching gently, and pulling towards and away. Their bodies grew close. The space between grew warm. The urge to press against Roxas grew so overwhelming that Sora breathed the boy's name. His eyes fluttered open the same time as Roxas'. A flash went through the blonde's face, like a glint in a panther's eye at dusk. Sora let Roxas lean him back. Then he pushed forward and circled his arms around the boy's soft hair, sweeping his hands gently. Roxas' fingers glided up the hem of Sora's shirt, tracing around his skin like feathers. The little hearts inside beat harder. Sora's teeth clenched from want. Roxas saw it and kissed him harder. When Sora opened his mouth to breath, Roxas flitted in his tongue. Sora's heart leapt. He mirrored Roxas. When Roxas' tongue slid out again its soft edge glanced across the smooth underside of Sora's. Sora copied him. Their bodies grew so close that their bellies touched. Roxas was hot, too. The skin beneath the wrinkled hem of his shirt was soft. Sora felt the space between his legs grow heavier. Harder. The tremble was coming back. His chest tightened in worry. He ignored it and clutched Roxas closer. Roxas' soft fingers dug into his back and sent a piercing sensation down his spine. Suddenly, Sora shivered involuntarily.

It was as if a barrier flooded open. Roxas pressed Sora into the wall astride the bunk, sucking on Sora's lips with snarling breaths. Sora responded with a loud whine, kissing Roxas and clutching his hair harder. Roxas broke from Sora's mouth with a kiss to the chin. Then he sucked above Sora's Adam's apple, sending the boy's head towards the mattress in the bunk above. When Roxas slipped one hand around the back of Sora's head and pulled, Sora groaned and bucked his hips into Roxas' thighs. An almost painful sensation rocketed from between his legs all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes, making him gasp for breath. Soon he was lying down with his shirt pulled up to the pits of his arms, Roxas running his lips along his beating chest in figure eights. When his bottom lip glanced across Sora's right nipple, the sensitive skin burst as well. Sora bucked so hard his head nearly got stuck between the bed and the wall. Roxas laughed as Sora shimmied his scalp back onto the pillow. Then he glanced into Sora's eyes.

As they looked at one another gasping for breath, the statement from the personality test, _"you have control over your desires and temptations,"_ returned to Sora's mind. He glanced into Roxas' eyes and bit his lip, thinking about what Tidus had said earlier that week, and what Soddy had told him after. For a moment he and Roxas breathed in sync, lost. Then Sora groaned, shut his eyes tight, and raised his chest towards Roxas' mouth. It clamped around Sora's nipple in seconds. As the blonde's tongue swirled around the hardening skin in fast circles, Sora cried out and clutched the frame of the bed. A feeling was building up just beneath the nipple's surface, like a pleasurable itch that deepened and pulsed across his entire chest, connecting to the itch throbbing between his legs. When Roxas' stomach slid against it, Sora cried out louder. As Roxas' left hand played with Sora's other nipple, his right slipped down Sora's hips and past his pant hem. Electric shocks coursed across the sensitive skin beneath, making Sora groan and shut his eyes tighter. When the hand reached down and pressed into the heaviness, fingertips kneading upward, a bold like lightning dug through Sora's pelvis and made him shriek. He flew his eyes open and rocketed to sitting, his forehead narrowly missing Roxas' nose. As Roxas yelped and dodged past him, Sora lurched and tumbled to the floor beside. When he got his bearings, he gasped and glanced down his bare chest, red with kiss marks and blush. When his eyes trained on the tent of fabric between his legs, he howled in horror and sat up.

"What is that?" he wailed.

"What's what?" asked Roxas.

Sora rolled onto his stomach before Roxas could get to him. The moment the skin below his belly button pressed into the carpet, he knew it was a bad idea. Sora groaned and spread his legs, snapping them shut when he realized what he was doing. Soon Roxas was at his side, coaxing him to sitting.

"Come on, Sora," he said, "I don't care, it's okay, it happens to everyone."

"It's never happened to me," said Sora, body hunched like a turtle and left cheek dug into the dorm room carpet.

"You've never had a boner?" Roxas said flatly. "Never morning wood?"

"Well, a little," mumbled Sora with a deep blush. "But not like… like I could poke someone's eye out."

Roxas pursed his lips to keep a serious expression. When the humor passed, he asked if it hurt. Sora padded at it and winced.

"Let's just talk about something else," Roxas said with a smile.

"Did yours go hard, too?" asked Sora.

"You think talking about my boner is going to make yours go away?" asked Roxas. Sora blushed and stuttered no.

"I just…" he started.

"Have you ever masturbated, Sora?" asked Roxas.

Sora closed his eyes and thought back to the definition of masturbation in the section on human sexuality in LGBTQ. Then he shook his head.

"You've never touched yourself? Even a little?" Roxas goaded.

"When I was a kid," said Sora. "I got slapped for it a lot. Riku would laugh at me."

Suddenly, tears were invading his vision. He breathed deeply in an effort to control them. It was funny, what old memories could do at the right time. As he sat, Roxas rubbed his back. Clockwise, counterclockwise. Widening arcs.

"I kissed a boy when I was six," he laughed. Sora gaped at him. Roxas winked and grinned, closing his eyes as he remembered. "He was our babysitter. I used to tell him how much I loved him. I wanted to have seven children and eighteen dogs with him."

"That's a lot of dogs," Sora breathed, closing his eyes as he let his voice vibrate into Roxas' palms.

"He was really nice," the blond whispered through a grin. "He'd always play along. He would kiss Ventus and I on the cheek before he left. He'd kiss me twice if I cried. I cried a fucking lot. Then, one day, I planted him a big one right on the lips."

"I kissed everyone when I was a kid," Sora sighed. "I kissed Riku and Kairi on the lips all the time."

"Well, I got slapped," Roxas muttered. His smile had gone. So had the touch of his hand. He picked at his arm in disinterest, adding, "pretty fucking hard. My lip split. Blood all over the doormat."

"What an asshole!" gasped Sora. "Bet you stopped letting him babysit you."

"It wasn't the babysitter," responded Roxas. "It was Eraqus."

Sora fell silent. Beside him, Roxas snorted and shook his head.

"It's so weird," he murmured. "That memory comes to me all the time when I'm with guys. To this day, whenever I taste blood, his face comes back."

"Eraqus?" Sora chanced. Roxas snorted and shook his head, muttering, "the babysitter."

Sora blinked in thought and asked what he looked like. Roxas shrugged.

"Black curly hair. Little hazel eyes. Just a normal Land of Departure guy. Nothing special. I liked him because he was nice to me."

"Oh," Sora whispered. Roxas shrugged as he looked at his hands. His mouth pulled taught, almost into a frown. His eyes stared dully between his fingers as if looking into black space.

"Am I nice?" Sora asked suddenly. Roxas blinked before gazing up at him. Though his eyes made Sora sad, the blond's warm smile returned.

"You're lovely, Sora," he whispered. His hand reached out and clasped around Sora's cheek. Sora rose to sitting as he held it in his palm. For a moment they smiled at one another. Then Roxas averted his gaze, rolled his eyes, and groaned.

"Must be nice being bisexual," he muttered. Sora snapped out of his thoughts and blinked at Roxas in shock. When Roxas glanced towards him in expectation, he furrowed his brows. When Roxas asked what was wrong, Sora pushed his hand away.

"Did you say," he gulped. Roxas blinked.

"Aren't you?" he asked. Sora scowled.

"What, do I look like it?" he snapped. "You're not supposed to tell by looking at someone."

Roxas furrowed his brows and snorted in amused disbelief. "You just went rock hard from kissing me," he said. When he saw the look on Sora's face, his amusement faded and he held up his hands. His lips pursed. His eyes turned dull.

"I had you stop," Sora whined. "You kept going."

"Don't start that shit with me, Sora," Roxas warned in a sharp turn. "You looked straight at me, bit your lip, and nudged your nipple into my mouth."

"Well, anyone would get hot and bothered!" bellowed Sora. "Sexuality is on a spectrum!"

"I know," Roxas snapped in response. "And I'm only saying, you are definitely somewhere in the middle."

"I'm just learning from you so I can kiss Naminé!" Sora insisted. Roxas' eyes nearly bugged out of his head as a gleefully shocked smile plastered his face.

"Was that cheek stroke and stare down we just had 'practice' as well?" he asked through a sneer.

Suddenly Sora jumped up and balled his hands into fists. "I'm not gay, if that's what you're trying to say!"

Roxas rose to meet him in the blink of an eye, a cutting expression painting his tan, freckled face. It made Sora shrink. It took all his determination to hold his ground.

"What's wrong with being gay?" the blond asked.

"N-nothing," responded Sora. "Th-that's just n-not what I am."

"I never said you were gay," Roxas intoned. "Why would it matter if you were?"

Sora opened and closed his mouth. His shoulders sagged. He fell silent. Roxas glared at him with blue eyes blazing. Sora kept his gaze averted. Roxas continued to stare. Then, through a terrible scowl he turned, wrenched his bag over his shoulder, and mouthed that he was heading to the cafeteria.

"I'll help you practice your combat after dinner," he hissed. "If you're not terrified I'm going to jump on your dick by then."

"Wait!" Sora called.

"Good luck with Naminé," Roxas snarled as he wrenched open the door. "Ask her what she thinks of my technique."

Sora winced as the door slammed. A stone sank to the pit of his stomach, carrying him down with it. He slouched his way to kneeling and set his palms over his eyes. They still shook. When the thrum of his blood and the sound of his breath became unbearable, he wrenched up and blustered out the door, bursting through the exit stairwell at the back of the dorms and charging down the steps towards the great hall. When he remembered Roxas was there, he swirled around and charged up until he reached the attic. When he dashed through the stairwell door onto its familiar floor, he glanced around in trepidation. Then, not knowing what else to do, he headed for Axel's office.

When he reached the door he hesitated to knock. Then, pulling himself together, he banged against the frame and waited. No one answered. He banged again. When response evaded him a second time, he scowled and slid until he sat with his back to the door and his legs pointed to the stairs. He waited. After what felt like forever, footsteps clambered up towards him. Sora scrambled to his feet. When Axel's fiery red locks popped into view inside the glass pane of the stairwell door, Sora clenched his hands into fists. His former probation officer was singing. The man burst into the attic hall just as he warbled his highest note. When he noticed Sora standing before him, he blinked in surprise.

"Well… this is weird," he said. Then he narrowed his eyes. "You do know you're not on probation anymore, right?"

"Do you have a meeting?" asked Sora in a bluster, slipping his hands behind his back to conceal their trembling. The pulse that assailed whenever Roxas kissed him echoed in his arms, his jaw, and his thighs like a sigh. Axel blinked at him. Then he shook his head and told Sora to come in. When he reached his door, though, he huffed. He turned to Sora with a knowing glance.

"You don't want to talk in there, do you?" he said with wrinkled nose. "I don't know why the hell I'm voluntarily putting myself in my office. Oh," he added, clamping his free hand over his mouth. Sora stopped him before he could apologize for cursing. He bounced on his feet to beat out whatever was coursing through him. A smile tugged at his cheek. Despite being untrustworthy, Axel seemed understanding. Full of advice. Sora leaned against the wall beside him. An itching sensation ran down the skin of his arm as he brushed against Axel by accident, as if the dregs of whatever Roxas had stirred up in his body forgot to go away. Axel raised a brow and leaned back.

"Where should we go?" chirped Sora.

A hint of a blush pulsed across Axel's cheeks. It was gone the moment it came.

"Summit?" he asked. "That is, if Thing 1 and 2 aren't there."

Sora beamed and nodded. Axel grinned and indicated for him to follow. In no time they were traipsing down the school's front steps together, Axel blathering about his awful day and waving his take away box of cafeteria food as he went.

"You know I've got Hayner and Aerith this year, right?" he said. Sora responded that he did not know Axel was teaching Hayner or Aerith. When he asked how they were doing, Axel snorted.

"Aerith is great," the redhead explained. "Could not ask for a better student."

"Hayner, too?" Sora tried. He and Hayner had stopped being friends the fall semester of his freshman year.

"Oh, Sora," Axel sighed. "Sora, Sora, Sora."

"What?" cried Sora, running to catch up with his professor's massive strides.

"You know he fights with an enchanted struggle bat, right?" said Axel. "It gets bigger when he swings. That's about damn well it. Aerith can spar. Definite mage material," he added. "But she's crawling behind because she's spending all her energy curing Hayner's sorry ass."

"Poor Hayner," Sora mumbled.

"He's gotten this far," Axel sighed. "Maybe he'll summon a key blade by the end of the semester." He winked. Sora blushed and rolled his eyes. Then he asked how the Riku hunt was going. Axel swirled his tongue around the inside of his cheek.

"Can't say, for sure. I'm low on the food chain, if you can believe it," he mumbled. "I meddle too much. They don't like me being familiar with you guys."

"I'm sorry," Sora worded, but Axel waved him off.

"Regrettably, I don't give a shit," he muttered. "As evidenced by my language."

"It's fine," Sora insisted. They were coming up the summit. Thankfully, it was empty of Ventus' gang. Axel sighed and pointed towards one of the stone tables near the waterfall. When Sora sat down Axel stretched, unzipped his leather cloak, and raised his arms over his head, lolling his face into the blistering wind as it filtered by. The hem of his undershirt ghosted over the skin of his belly. Sora found himself smiling as he looked at him. When Axel sat back down he winked. Sora giggled. Axel's smile was disarming as well. But in a different way than Roxas'. Roxas' made Sora melt. Axel's made Sora's heart beat fast, like he was letting him in on a secret.

"So, my dear boy, what is't troubling thou?" the man asked, slipping off the leather coat fully and ripping into his chicken wrap with gusto. When he heard Sora's rumbling stomach and saw his longing expression, he scowled and gave him half.

"Just Roxas," Sora blurted out. To his surprise, Axel threw back his head and guffawed. When Sora asked what was wrong, Axel shook his head and told him to keep going.

"He's just being a stank," said Sora with a frown, digging into the chicken wrap as well. "He just assumes things about people."

"That's weird," said Axel with a frown. "Roxas is usually a good judge of character. I've contemplated the notion that he reads minds."

Sora nearly choked on his spit.

"Well," he croaked, "sometimes mind readers are… wrong."

"Or maybe you just don't know yourself as well as you think you do," Axel said with a misty expression. Sora scowled and shuffled his feet.

"There's… there's something else," he started. Axel looked at him in dull expectation. Sora gulped and took another bite of his wrap.

"Sora," Axel drawled. "If you're thinking of talking through that wrap, don't."

Sora swallowed and wiped the mayonnaise from his mouth. Then he gave Axel the full rundown of his fight with Tidus and Soddy the week previous.

"So Tidus is saying I might just be jumping into a pool too deep for me," Sora explained. "And then all of a sudden, this big buffoon just comes up all wise like and says, _'Destiny Islands is a prison for the unique,'_ and I tell myself, how the flubbing nut face do you know what Destiny Islands is like? Probably related to Xehanort Nimoy. They can have him back." With that he tore so hard into his wrap half it split in two. As he attempted wiping the crumbs from his lap, Axel stared ahead with pursed lips and narrowed eyes.

"You call him Soddy?" he confirmed. Sora nodded. Axel chortled. "You know Soddy came in with DiZ, right? The guy with all the red bandages? No relation to Xehanort whatsoever."

"Huh," Sora muttered, not entirely believing him. Axel stared him down with a glance of curiosity. Then he looked towards his hands. Sora noticed he had painted his fingernails black. His mind traveled to the day he met Axel in the shower. He blushed and munched faster, marveling at how much Roxas had muddled his brain.

"Sora, I am going to grant you sensitive information," Axel intoned. "You know how Soddy has Riku's key blade?"

"Yeah," Sora said, stopping his munching in its tracks.

"Well he says Riku met him on the road and engaged him in a fight," Axel explained. "And that Riku's key blade transferred to him after the kid lost."

"That's impossible," snapped Sora. "The key blade doesn't just hop from person to person like a hot potato. Argento says it's a part of its first wielder's heart."

"Exactly what the Organization was thinking," replied Axel. "Some of us believe that Riku's heart is hiding inside Soddy's body."

"Then where is Riku's body?" gasped Sora. Axel nodded and gave Sora a piercing look. "Million dollar question, right there," he quipped.

"Well can't you force Soddy into a pod and have Naminé check his mimbic system?"

"Limbic, Sora," Axel corrected. "And we are authorized to experiment on students, not faculty."

"Well maybe you should bend your rules," Sora hissed. Axel gazed across the distant peaks. Sora finished his half of the wrap and used a spare napkin to wipe the crumbs and chicken juice from his fingers.

"Pretty soon," Axel started with a grim glance. "Reno is going to ask you to spy on Soddy. And from one meddler to another? I think it's in Riku's best interest not to follow through with his demands."

"I'd spy on Soddy any day," snarled Sora. "Even for Shinra."

"So you'd sell your soul over a dream grudge?" Axel snapped suddenly, taking Sora aback. "Listen, bud, I already signed my will when I joined the Organization. Now I certainly respect my brother's knack for getting what he wants, but I sure as hell wouldn't act like I trusted him."

"Reno has always been nice to me," Sora whispered.

"Nice doesn't mean jack shit, Sora," Axel snapped. "Gods, it still amazes me how easily you shoot yourself in the foot."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Sora returned. Axel leaned towards him and tapped his temple.

"Be. Smart. For. Once," he intoned. "You hate Soddy for a reason. Just don't assume you know what that reason is. And whatever Roxas says, he's right."

"I'm bisexual?" cried Sora. Axel stared at him in disbelief. For a moment he stammered. Then he held up his hands and stood. "I don't even want to know." He muttered. Then he gathered his trash and tucked it under his arm.

"Are you bisexual?" asked Sora. Axel groaned and clamped his hand to his forehead. When he said that information was private, Sora just stared at him. The man's faint blush journeyed around his neck.

"I enjoy the company of men," Axel intoned. "Certain women, as well, but I'm much more particular."

"Would you say it's bad to be bisexual?" asked Sora. Axel scoffed.

"It is what it is, Sora," he explained. "Regardless of whether it's bad or not. Is the sex enjoyable? Is it consensual? Further than that, I don't think much about it."

"Sex?" asked Sora. Axel shook his head.

"It's not something you can be taught from a book, Sora," the man warned. "So don't even think about asking. Have Roxas explain it to you."

Sora thought of telling Axel about his kissing lessons, but he decided he did not want to steamroll the man with too much saucy info at once. They began their return to the school in silence.

"I guess Roxas is just negative sometimes," Sora muttered.

"He's had it rough," Axel returned.

"I know, but… I don't know," Sora scowled.

"Ding ding!" Axel gonged, moving his finger like a bell ringing in a tower. Sora shoved him to the side without thinking. When the man stumbled, he gaped and laughed in a menacing way.

"Insubordination!" he sang. "I think that calls for a week's detention."

"Whatever, Ax Max!" Sora snapped with glee. Then his smile faded. "Wait, you're not serious, are you?"

Axel winked and kept walking. Sora gaped and ran to his side, hanging onto his forearm by his fingertips.

"Ax Max, come on!" he begged. "I was just joshing around!"

"Insubordination," Axel repeated. When he glanced back down, he winked. Sora stared into his eyes. They were so clear and bright. Sharp. His tattoos were more faded purple than black. It looked like he wore a faint coat of eyeliner. And he was not as pale as Sora thought before, certainly not as pale as Riku had been. There was a glow to his skin. His cheeks shone pink.

"Land of Departure to Sora," Axel cooed, waving his hand in front of the boy's face. Sora snapped out of it and gave a sheepish grin before looking away. Axel chuckled beside him.

"Every once in a while I remember that Freudian slip at your birthday party," he murmured in feigned deliberation, touching his forefinger to his mouth and nibbling at it with his lips.

"Oh, no," Sora groaned, clapping his hand to his face. Behind him, Axel cackled. "My confidence bloomed for a whole two weeks, thanks to you," he beamed, winking again. He was definitely a winker. Sora mused that Roxas was probably a winker as well.

"You should be friends with Roxas," Sora announced. "If you like me, I think you would like him."

Axel snorted and glanced towards the school, shaking the wind through his crimson locks as it gusted towards him.

"I think that means I have to like him, Sora," he murmured. "I'll have to see if I can fit him into my schedule."

"If you can fit me, you can fit him!" Sora said. Axel snorted again, eyeing Sora with a sharp grin. It reminded Sora of the panther-like look Roxas got sometimes.

"Next time he annoys you," Axel mused. "Call him Roxie. I've heard he hates it."

"Gee, Axel, thanks!" Sora cried, leaning so close to Axel that their sides touched. He felt thick as thieves.

"And by the by, do you know Argento's whereabouts?" Axel asked. Sora stumbled in surprise.

"I have an idea," he mumbled, glancing towards Axel with a skeptical frown. Axel nodded and gave Sora a final wink and grin.

"Do me a favor and tell Reno you don't, okay?" he said. "I'm curious to see what will go down if they don't locate her by fall semester's end."

Sora stopped in surprise and watched as Axel curved up the mountain path to the school. The man waved down to him and told him to get some food before the cafeteria closed. Sora nodded and scrambled up towards him. By the time he returned to the forecourt, the man was gone.

~X~

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 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Perhaps I'll drop off a couple more presents in the next few days (wink wink) if I'm not too busy with school and work stuff. Thank you for your wonderful support! If you'd like to gift me, send me a follow, favorite, or review!**


	16. Enemies

**A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews, everyone! R12, I guess it's easy to tell who my favorite characters are T.T. And about the keys? If you're referring to Sora's from the summer, he was switched to a different dorm after he lost the keys so a new lock could be made for the door, so those keys wouldn't work anymore. What do you mean by Ari's keys? And in Roxas' defense for the fight, he has been kissing Sora for three weeks, so maybe he feels more comfortable... and no, Sora never called Axel 'Ax Max' before. Call it divine inspiration (Sora taking the bounds of student/ teacher relationship too far seemed appropriate at that moment, lol)**

 **Anyhoo, get ready for the dramatic return of the infamous LGBTQ club!**

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~X~

 ** _Cha_** ** _pter Sixteen_**

~X~

"All right, everyone, gather around!" sang Coco, nearly rocketing from her seat. There were a whopping fifteen people in LGBTQ now, up from seven last year, and that was counting Sota and Nao. More people had signed up for LGTBQ before school started, but they must have gotten cold feet and changed their schedules before they actually had to show up for class. The spike in membership was still unbelievable, judging by the fact that LGBTQ had lost several of its strongest members to graduation, expulsion, or resignation last year. All remaining originals kept on. Unbelievably, it was almost October, which meant midterms and the Drag Show were coming in hot. Sora had long since entered the idea of having the show at the Teatro. Coco had immediate reservations. Every school club was allotted a certain amount of money for operations. If LGBTQ rented the venue for a night and put on a show with lights and new costumes and everything, they would exceed their annual budget. LGBTQ was the least popular club in school. If it exceeded its budget, it could be axed in a heartbeat. But, if the venue worked and made a profit, it could pave the way for increased funds next year. Which, judging by the story Roxas had told Sora about Eraqus, was unlikely. Still? The spirit with which the new club worked was breathtaking.

It was an optional Saturday meeting, for one thing, and over half the class was present and accounted for. Ten of them surrounded a circular fold out table at the black box's center. Tidus hovered five feet outside the crowd with his arms crossed over his front. It had been a struggle even getting him to visit. The last add/drop day for clubs was next week. Tidus had transferred from biology to geology already. Somehow, Sora had gotten him to contemplate joining LGBTQ in addition, so that the two of them could spend the same amount of class time together each week. It still surprised Tidus that "Riku" sat smack in the middle of the huddle leaning over Naminé's notebook of logo designs. That's right. Ari was in LGBTQ. Why he had joined, Sora did not know. A part of him feared that it had something to do with Naminé. Worse still, was that Kairi and Selphie were in the club too. They sat with Shiki, twittering and giggling over a note they passed across each other's laps. When Ari winked at them, all but Kairi squealed.

Despite being a complete weirdo, Ari had still managed to ride Riku's limelight to the highest pantheon of the school's popular crowd. He brought a different girl to his dorm every other day. Marceline was gay, and even she had made out with him.

"He's hot and has a cute personality," she had shrugged when she told Sora. "There's no rule saying gay people can't be affectionate to the opposite gender. Now, if he asked me to suck his dick, I'd make him a eunuch in a second."

For that second, Sora had not minded whether Marceline made Ari a eunuch or not. What had terrified him most was that she, a girl Sora had believed to be intelligent and well adjusted, considered the weirdest bozo within a hundred miles, to have a "cute" personality. The guy who thundered the song, "Formation," complete with head banging, arm waving, and on a bad day, leg movements, as he washed himself in the shower. When Marceline insinuated that Sora might be jealous, Sora choked. When she added that Ari might give Sora a run for his money at the next Drag Show, Sora nearly fell from his chair.

As Coco climbed atop a cube at the head of the table, Sora ran through killer songs and vogue routines for his lip sync performance. His heart burned with resentment.

"Last year we had seven members," explained Coco with a hint of a blush. "Five got to perform in the show. The two remaining members helped with makeup and costumes. A good place to start would be deciding who performs and who works backstage."

"Raise your hand if you want to snatch and sync," Marceline called. The hands of the three original members shot up. When Sora glanced around, he noticed Ari's hand was up as well, along with Belle's, Kairi's, Selphie's, and those of two other freshmen named Pearl and Amethyst. When Coco saw the spike in interest, she winced.

"How long was last year's show?" she asked.

"Forty minutes, I think," Joshua said. "Fifty with the five minute intermission."

"I don't think we should go further than an hour and a half," said Coco. Then, her expression drew shrewd. "I'm going to be honest with you all. If we go hard with this show, we have to play hard. And that means giving the best show we can give." She eyed everyone with a laser like glance. "We'll have to do auditions this year."

Immediately Sora and Ari met eyes. Their glance narrowed and became a stare down. Ari's mouth twitched with a grin. Sora gave him an intense smile. Naminé tapped Ari's shoulder to see what was wrong. Ari whispered towards her. Sora straightened in triumph, saying auditions sounded like a fantastic idea. Kairi gasped.

"What if we do duets!" she cried. Coco's eyes shone. "Yes! There could be duets."

"Can… could some of us actually sing if we wanted?" squeaked a senior named Elsa. She was a pretty girl with an even icier complexion than Naminé's. A wide, fight or flight look painted her glance. Belle gasped and reached for her hand. "If you sing, I'll sing!" she gushed. "I've never sang in public before…"

"Well, okay, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves," Coco muttered, asking again who wanted to work backstage.

"I can do costumes!" chirped Shiki. "I'm a seamstress. I make all my clothes."

Coco nearly cried right there and then. Having an actual costume designer would be a serious step up in their game. As she padded her eyes, the door to the black box creaked open and a set of high-heeled boots clipped in.

"There's going to be singing in this show?"

Everyone turned and stared towards the black box door in shock. Standing just over the threshold with her hand on her hip, was senior and galactic renowned singer, Yuna. At her side stood a girl with blonde, half braided hair tied back in a messy ponytail. When she looked at Ari, she winked. Ari gave a business like nod and tried to hide his blush. Coco attempted a hello. But her voice broke. Sora was sure he saw drool pool at the side of Marceline's mouth. Yuna came over and asked if she could sit down. Sora asked Tidus over his shoulder if there were any extra chairs behind him. When the boy did not answer, Sora glanced towards him and repeated himself.

What he met was a human puddle. Tidus was sweating. He was sniffing. He was drooling. The ocean blue of his eyes sparkled with moisture and the skin of his cheeks blushed hot red as he looked upon her. When Yuna caught sight of him, she cooed hello. When she asked if he had an extra chair for her, he shrieked, nodded, and barreled from his own. Yuna shook her head.

"I don't want to steal your seat," she insisted. "I'll just get the one behind you."

Tidus said nothing. He swiveled on his foot and clamped his hands around one of the foldable chairs at the back of the room, knocking several down in the process of wrenching it out. When the chair finally passed to Yuna, Tidus hid in his own seat with his hands clamped over his eyes in embarrassment. When Coco asked Yuna if she had walked into the wrong department, she shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure I want to join LGBTQ," she murmured. "I have a lot of fans in the community, and I figure it's time to start giving back."

"I'm her buddy Rikku!" chirped the girl at her side.

After a spot of confusion over differentiating Rikku from Riku, Coco beckoned for anyone interested in joining the club to scoot closer. Tidus was sitting with rapt attention at Sora's side in seconds. It appeared his reservations about the "two-one" club had disappeared the moment his star crush entered the room. When Yuna sat at Tidus' side, he nearly fainted. His fingers dug into Sora's arm for support as he teetered against the boy's shoulder. Coco continued with drag business.

"We've got a seamstress," she said.

"I can design any graphic related to the club," chirped Naminé. Coco nodded and scribbled her job down.

"I can do marketing," chirped Yuna. Coco beamed. Then she bit her lip and said that because the club had grown so large, it needed officers. Everyone agreed.

"So we need a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, editor, and PR officer. Other jobs include costume, light, and graphic designing; dance coaching; and stage-managing. Everyone get out a sheet of paper and write those jobs down. Then write your top three choices for each. People not present will vote on Monday."

"Can we vote for ourselves?" asked Ari. Coco said no. Ari scowled and returned to his paper. When everyone finished, they turned their papers in and helped decide upon the format for the next drag show. As they discussed, the door slammed open again. New members Cloud Strife and Neku Sakuraba walked in together.

"Sorry for being late," Cloud muttered. "Had a combat appointment."

"No problem, Cloud," Coco chirped, adding that they needed a piece of paper to vote for new club officers. Both filled out their ballots and turned them in quickly. Then they joined in the drag discussion.

"Last year we did a walk, lip sync, and snatch game. I need one good reason why we should keep each, if any."

"Lip sync was legendary," said Cloud. Everyone murmured in agreement.

"Which ones?" Coco interjected. "We need to analyze this."

"Sora's," everyone said together. Sora blushed as every eye in the room trained on his face.

"Why?" goaded Coco.

"He jumped into the fucking audience," said Neku.

"It was partly circumstance," explained Marceline. "Combination of Cloud, Sora crying, rumors, cuteness, etcetera."

"So if you were all going to a drag show, who would you want to see perform?" asked Coco. All at once, the room filled with names.

"Sora."

"Riku."

"Cloud."

"Yuna."

"Belle."

"Me?" Belle barked in shock.

"Cause it would seem against your nature," Marceline said. "Like, you could come in as a rocker, or something."

Belle's eyes twinkled at the thought of it. She grinned. It would be hard to imagine the lush cheeked, heart faced Belle lip-sync scream into a muted microphone. Sora pictured black smearing eyeliner, hair tied in a messy ponytail, torn up jeans, and an Obscene Bird cut off tee like Vanitas'. It made him chuckle. Coco moved from discussing the lip sync portion to the walk.

"It's a cornerstone of drag balls," Marceline gushed. "We've got to have the walk."

"How do we update it?" asked Coco.

"Categories. Femme Queen, Butch Queen, Twister," cooed Joshua.

"We could add an audience category," added Sora. "Have two volunteers walk, or something."

"Fantastic!" snapped Coco, scribbling everything down. "Last up: Snatch Game."

"An excuse for us to talk about all the fucked up political shit with the faculty," hissed Marceline. The word "political," seemed to get Cloud's juices flowing, as now he was leaning in nodding as if his life depended on it.

"The Eraqus and Reno bits were brutal," he snarled. "In the best way."

"I like that! Activism through performance! Good!" Coco snapped. "So that means we keep everything!"

Everyone cheered. Coco's alarm bell rang. She gasped and looked at her watch. LGBTQ had been given a two-hour Saturday slot in the black box and was forbidden from exceeding it. Now the hours were up and they had not even put away their food.

"Quick!" Coco screeched. "Everyone break it down before someone comes in!"

In a flash the tables were swept clean of debris and rolled near the door. The foldable chairs returned to the wall perpendicular, and everyone scrambled their bags over their shoulders and tiptoed out the fire exit just as voices approached from the black box entrance doors. When Coco snapped the lights off and cut the air conditioning, she whispered goodbye to everyone and left by the entranceway, chirping hello to Larxene and the solo performance class on her way out. Seventeen kids hurried in a pack around the back of the maze, scattering in all directions when they reached the rope bridge. When Larxene slipped outside for a smoke, Ari and Sora pretended to be fluffing the hedges. Naminé leaned at their side, along with Tidus. When Larxene saw them, she told them to scat or she would mark them down for loitering. Tidus yelped and tried running. Ari stopped him before he could get too far and herded everyone towards the forecourt. As they walked, Sora brushed up to Naminé's side. When Naminé said hi, he croaked a guttural wheeze. His whale breath was more dependable than his actual voice.

"I really love this club," Naminé sighed. Sora nodded, managing that it was his favorite. Naminé beamed and asked if she had told him how well he did in the drag show last year. Sora shrugged. Naminé laughed.

"I was peeking down at you from the very back," she murmured. "You wouldn't have seen me at all. I was just finishing my training as a Memory Chain technician."

"Thanks for watching," Sora mumbled. In horror he realized that if Naminé had seen the end of the drag show, she must have seen the beginning. Which meant she had seen him break down and bawl like a baby.

"I used to hear all the horrible rumors about you in faculty meetings," she whispered, shaking her head. "I wanted so much for your vision quest to be a bright one. I admit, I neglected some of your classmates when they needed me in favor of you."

"Oh?" said Sora. Naminé nodded. Then she blushed. "Sora." She started, wetting and pursing her pink lips. "I've been meaning to apologize for something for a long time…"

"What?" asked Sora, inching as close to her as he could without seeming weird.

"I want to apologize for spying on your memories," she whispered. "I know I would not want anyone peeking into mine."

"Well, it was your job!" Sora said. But Naminé shook her head.

"It wasn't, Sora. I didn't need to relive everything that happened to you. It was selfish curiosity. I looked at your memories, including the one with Vanitas, because I wanted to see if what my colleagues were saying was true."

Sora blinked in shock as he thought about it. Despite the strange button of antipathy churning through his gut, a new image clouded his mind.

"Naminé?" he asked. "Did you tell them about the time Ventus asked me to touch his key blade?"

Naminé peered at Sora in fear. But she shook her head.

"I risked getting fired. But I hid it from them. Because… I didn't want you getting in trouble. I thought you'd been through enough already."

"Well, I ended up telling Axel and Ari, anyway," Sora sighed.

"Axel's not a bad guy," Naminé murmured. "He just does questionable things. He… he's out for himself, Sora. And he does like you. He wanted not to, but… he does."

"Why did he not?" asked Sora. Naminé shrugged, like she knew but did not want to tell. All she said was that in the beginning, he wanted to scare Sora away. She would slip nothing else. Sora pondered it with furrowed brows, inching so deep into its implications that he hardly noticed when Naminé left his side for Ari. As he snapped to attention and watched them laugh and talk with a grimace, Tidus sidled up to him, repeating some mumbled phrase.

"I was horrible," he breathed. "Horrible, horrible, horrible…"

"What?" said Sora in disinterest, pictures of Naminé's rolling blue eyes and echoes of the faculty as they watched his memories clouding the swish of her hair as she walked before him.

"Yuna!" Tidus groaned. "I love her with my whole being, Sora…"

"Okay," Sora mumbled, wondering what the "rumors" against him had been. When the poster drawn of him last year seared through his mind, he reeled back and shook his head.

"How could she ever want a bimbo like me?" Tidus sniffed at his side. "I'm so ugly and unlovable…"

As Tidus descended into quiet sobs, Sora reached for the boy's back without thinking. He swirled his palm in circles, clockwise, counterclockwise. Widening arcs. His cheek warmed under the memory of Roxas' touch. When Tidus met eyes with Sora again, his tear streaked face snapped the brunette from his thoughts.

"Hey!" Sora consoled. "You're not unlovable! I love you!"

"No, Sora," Tidus snapped. "Not that kind of love. I mean…love in a… a different…" he could not finish. If Sora had not been through over a semester of LGBTQ and three weeks of kissing Roxas, he would not have been able to piece it together. When he did, he gaped.

"Oh!" he gulped with a blush. Then he furrowed his brows and tapped his hand to his lip.

"I've got it!" he cried. Tidus yelped.

"Kissing lessons, Tidus!" Sora gasped, clamping his hands around Tidus' shoulders. A big, sniff resistant glob of snot pooled around the bottom of the younger boy's left nostril.

"W-what?" Tidus croaked.

"I like someone, too!" Sora explained after he made sure Naminé was a good distance away. "I've been taking kissing lessons so I can wow her when I take her on a date!"

"Who's your teacher!" gasped Tidus, rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet in excitement.

"His name is Roxas," Sora gushed. "He's in my year."

"A boy?" said Tidus with wrinkled nose. "Why not a girl?"

"Well… because I'm kind of, well, scared of kissing girls…" Sora mumbled. "Kissing a boy is just like… kissing yourself …"

"I guess that makes sense," Tidus said to himself. Then he asked for Roxas' rate. Sora puffed out his chest, turned up his nose, and shrugged, murmuring in a knowing way, "well, for me it's free, because I'm a close friend, but for you I'd guess… a thousand munny per sesh."

"A thousand?" Tidus shrieked. "How many lessons would I need?"

"Well, I've been taking mine three times a week for three weeks, so… nine thousand munny in all?"

"Oh gods," groaned Tidus. "Sora, I don't have nearly that much!"

"Well, maybe I can figure out a discounted rate," Sora muttered.

"Please try!" gushed Tidus. "Tell him I'm a great student and I learn fast!"

"I'll be sure to," winked Sora, feeling rather chuffed with himself. They parted ways at the forecourt; Tidus heading off to eat lunch while Sora trudged to the summit to practice. When he crossed the white bridge and carried on the mountain path to the familiar stone tables, the sound of clashing blades met his ears. When he peeked through the marble archway entrance, he noticed Aqua and Terra battling tooth and nail, with Ventus cheering them on behind. When Aqua started winning, Terra called Ventus for help. Ventus scrambled over and started fighting Aqua as well, a grin splashed across his tired face. When Aqua noticed Sora spying, she beamed and cried for him to fight, too. Ventus swiveled around and widened his glance at Sora's running form in shock. His slashes became faster. Sora soon fought him at Aqua's side, though he had to admit, he was not much help. Ventus was swifter than Roxas, who fought like a blur. Terra was slow, but he packed a terrible punch. Sora hit him with a blast of fire that he blocked with a massive earthquake. When the earthquake threatened to engulf Sora, Aqua stepped before him and performed such a powerful barrier spell that both of them were immediately bathed in a sphere of twinkling, translucent hexagons. Sora stared at the spell surrounding him in awe. When it dissipated, a bright spray of light shot from its sides and drove Terra and Ventus back.

"Wow!" Sora gasped, staring at Aqua like she was a goddess. She winked at him and dove forward, casting another complicated magic spell swift as she flicked her arm. Sora tried to keep up. When the bout finished and Ventus and Terra sat back in exhaustion, Aqua wiped her forehead and gave herself a pat on the back.

"How humble," snapped Terra. Aqua laughed and said he seemed off today.

"Just getting nervous," he mumbled, accepting her hand as she helped him up. "I was never a good test taker."

"This is a test you can't study for, Terra," Aqua murmured with her customary glimmer of self importance. "Perhaps you should work on your focus."

"Of course, Master Aqua," Terra snapped in response, letting his massive key blade disappear from his hand in a beam of light. Aqua relinquished hers as well, followed by Sora and Ventus. As they sat together against the grass, Aqua shook her head and picked at dandelions.

"Can you believe it?" she murmured, stripping one of its golden petals. "In thirty one days, we'll know."

Terra nodded. Ventus stared at Sora. Suddenly, he asked if he needed to be somewhere.

"What?" blurted Sora. Ventus shrugged and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know if you need to be at a probation meeting, or something."

"I'm not on probation anymore," said Sora in disbelief. Ventus shrugged and picked at his cuticles, muttering that he wasn't in Sora's classes so he did not know.

"I'm looking forward to the drag show!" announced Terra with a beam. Aqua agreed. Sora half grinned. Then he asked if they would buy tickets if it were held in a professional theatre.

"I wouldn't waste money on something like that," shrugged Ventus, his glance firmly away. "It's all just novelty."

"It's not novelty for the people who started the tradition," responded Sora in irritation. Ventus shrugged and muttered that he was not queer, so he wouldn't know. Terra and Aqua stared towards him with strange expressions. Wide eyes and furrowed brows. Incredulity? Ventus refused to meet their glance. Something cracked in Sora. He jumped up. His hands balled into fists. Terra and Aqua tensed. Ventus stared at Sora with a disinterested glare. Sora set his jaw.

"It doesn't take being someone to have compassion for them," he hissed. Before Ventus could meet him, he turned and dashed back down the mountain path at a run, ignoring how confused he felt. When he got midway to the stone bridge, he kicked a large rock over the ledge of the nearby cliff and splashed his hand through the water of the stream running through the path's center.

"Not queer, ha!" Sora snapped to himself, fuming and pacing. "Just kissing Vanitas for 'fun,' huh? A likely story. Little do you know, Vanitas told me everything!" For a moment he relaxed and turned for the peak of the school across the distant path. Then, as he set his foot forward, he swiveled around and pointed his face towards the two trees leaning upon the hill directly behind him, roaring, "last time I checked, Vanitas was too dumb to tell a convincing lie!"

When someone snorted in return, Sora screeched and swiveled around with his key blade summoned and raised. Two surprised, orange eyes blinked down at him from between the trees above. When Sora met them, he jumped back. The stranger had a key blade as well. A red wing with indigo joints. A piercing, cerulean eye.

"You," Sora growled. Soddy stared like a dead bird. He twisted Riku's key blade in his large, tan hands. As he crept from between the trees, Sora noticed that he was bare-chested. His shirtless torso glistened with sweat. He had whitish purple armpit hair. Dark nipples. Sora half expected him to be wearing skintight leather pants and combat boots like usual. But he was just in athletic gear. Sora never expected Soddy to be the type of guy to go for the "retro" vibe, but his socks, shorts, and shoes looked like they came straight from the seventies. When Sora's eyes trailed down, he reeled. Soddy swung Riku's key blade before his thinly veiled groin like a fig leaf. He was surprisingly modest for being an embodiment of all-powerful darkness. Sora snapped his gaze back to Soddy's and narrowed his eyes, leaning forward with his key blade at his hip. Soddy continued to stare, lost for words.

"Spying on me again?" Sora snapped. Soddy's mouth dropped as he barked, "no!" in indignation.

"I was training," he snapped, leaping from the hill he stood upon and inching to Sora's side. As he walked, he pointed behind him. "Down the left bank of the mountain path," he muttered. "Where I thought no one would look."

"What's so special about the left bank?" Sora inquired. Soddy's glance furrowed.

"I just told you," he snapped. "I like being alone."

 _"Suspicious,"_ thought Sora to himself. When Soddy swung Riku's key blade over his shoulder, Sora snapped and barked for him to stop. Soddy jumped in shock. When the blade relinquished from his grasp in a puff of black smoke, Sora gritted his teeth and shot Soddy a foul glare.

"What are you training with?" he demanded.

"None of your business," Soddy hissed.

"Are you training with Riku's key blade?" Sora snapped. Soddy pursed his lips and ground his teeth. He snorted.

"What else would I train with?" he asked. Tears brimmed at the sides of Sora's eyes as his fingers shook into fists.

"Something that belongs to you," snarled Sora. Soddy closed his eyes and retorted that the key blade did belong to him. Sora stamped his foot in incredulity and stood on his tiptoes to meet Soddy's towering glance.

"You killed Riku!" he intoned. "You killed him and you took his weapon!"

"Where the hell did that come from?" Soddy barked. "I got the bloody thing from Riku!"

"Yeah, after you pried it from his cold, dead hands!" Sora blustered.

"Riku is alive, you idiot!" spat Soddy. Sora opened and closed his mouth. When Sora asked how Soddy knew, Soddy pursed his lips and muttered that that information was private. Then he turned and stalked back down the path's left bank with a muttering scowl. Sora stared as he disappeared, lost for words. His heart thundered in his chest. Before he knew it he turned and began to run. He whizzed down the path, across the bridge, up the spiraling stones, through the forecourt, and up the stairwell to the familiar office with the rising steps. When he blustered in, he shouted its owner's name. Reno jolted from his desktop and asked what was wrong. He looked like he had been napping. Sora grinned. Then he charged over and nearly threw himself into the redhead's arms.

"Soddy says Riku is alive," Sora snarled. "I think we should trap him and search him. He practices on the left bank of the mountain path. I think he's got Riku in there."

Reno stared at Sora as if he had sprouted another arm. He blinked. Then he took his reading glasses off, scratched his upper lip, and leaned forward on his elbows with his hands clasped together before him.

"Repeat that?" he managed.

"Soddy's got Riku in the mountain," Sora stated. Reno reeled back and chuckled. Then he murmured that Sora had it all wrong. Sora groaned and plopped down in the chair in front of him, collapsing his head and arms near Reno's name holder. Reno pressed his forefinger beneath his nose as he stared. When Sora sat back up again, he had a red indentation of the desk's wood grain tattooed on his forehead. Tears glistened in his eyes.

"Why won't anyone tell me what's going on with my friend!" he wailed, slamming himself back down again. His hands clenched into fists on either side of his head. Reno reached out and clasped one in his palm.

"Sora. I want to stick Soddy just as much as you do. And I like the nickname. That's a nice development."

"Thanks," Sora sniffed.

"But we've got to play the game like we did with Marluxia!" Reno whispered. When Sora stared up at him with furrowed brows, the man winked. "Soddy's a smooth operator, Sora. So's his buddy DiZ."

"The guy he came here with?" whispered Sora. Reno nodded.

"We can't hit him where it hurts a mile away," he explained. Sora nodded. Reno's eyes glinted. His hands folded against one another. He smiled.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, Sora," he murmured. Sora nodded. He knew what was coming.

"You know Riku better than anyone."

"Yes," Sora said.

"We need a spy," Reno murmured. Sora stuck him with a sharp glance, trying to find something in the man's eyes to make him unsure. But his heart twisted with impatience. He bit his lip. Then he nodded.

"I'll do it," said Sora. "Whatever it takes."

Reno beamed, clapped his hands, and pumped his fists in the air. Sora gave a nervous chuckle. When Reno folded his arms and returned them over the top of his abdomen, he leaned back in his chair and winked.

"Read my mind, as usual, Sora," he mused. "And before we go gifting our souls to each other, did Argento happen to tell you where she was planning to vacay? She's been slow to respond to her email, and I want to ask if she's seen Riku."

Sora bit his lip and responded, "no," before he could think too hard about it. Reno blinked out at him. His eyes narrowed. His grin lengthened. With a smirk he held out his palm.

"Shake on it?"

Sora grinned and shook Reno's hand, a grim glance of determination splashed across his knitted brow.

~X~

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 **A/N: GASP! So many twists and turns in such little time! What could possibly happen next?! Who will come out on top in the drag show? Stay tuned for more! FOLLOW, FAV, AND REVIEW!**


	17. Pimpin'

**A/N:** **No reviews?! T.T Gosh, I hope everyone liked the last chapter... I've been slow to update because I am taking a grueling Jan term class on genocide (cheery stuff.) I'm in the middle of drafting a 15 page essay... In the meantime, here's that second "christmas present" I went on about in my last update but never posted (lol.) So, Happy New Year! And please... PLEASE FOLLOW, FAVORITE, and REVIEW! When I don't get any feedback, I think no one is interested anymore. Hope you enjoy it. **

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Seventeen_**

~X~

"What am I supposed to say to him?"

"Just bare your heart, Tidus."

"Here, I- I wrote an essay, do- do you think you could look it over?"

"Sure, when did you manage to write it?"

"When I was in the nurse's office after my last bio class."

Tidus had completed his second and final biology class last week. He had only been through two periods of Lexaeus' geology class, but despite the difficulty of the material and the monstrosity of the professor, he highly preferred tapping rocks to dissecting Moombas. As he and Sora trudged up the stairs to the great hall, Sora swiped the essay from his grasp and read through it in a mutter. After he finished, he handed it back and announced that it was perfect. Tidus beamed, shaking as he folded the paper and slipped it into the pocket of his cargo shorts. When the boys reached the great hall's double entrance doors, Sora settled his hand on Tidus' shoulder and asked if he was ready. Tidus stared forth with glassy eyes and gulped. Then, he nodded. Sora cut his gaze towards the chamber ahead and pressed through its massive double doors with a slam. It seemed to take everything in Tidus' being to follow him without trembling.

"Head high," Sora commanded in a chirp, peering over his shoulder every once in a while to see if Tidus was still there. An hour ago the pair of them had worked on "confidence walks." Now Tidus puffed his chest up so far he struggled to walk like a human being. The tip of his nose pointed straight to the ceiling. After crashing into ten different people and muttering ten different apologies, they finally located Roxas. He sat at the far side of the cafeteria bathed in light shards shimmering from the hall's massive rose window, a soupspoon in one hand and a book in the other. Between each bite he laughed and turned a page. Once Sora fixed him in his eye, he winked towards Tidus and indicated for him to follow. Tidus nodded and thrust up his nose again, waddling behind at a crawl. When their collective shadow glanced over Roxas' arm like a fluttering black bird, the blond peered up with furrowed brows. Sora waved. Roxas grinned and asked what he wanted. Sora beamed and patted Tidus' back. Before Roxas could hold out his hand to introduce himself, the brunette slapped him on the shoulder and chirped, "I've brought you a new customer!"

For a moment Roxas stared at him as if time had stopped. His eyes grew wide. His brows drew flat. His jaw hung almost as low as his spoon. Not a drop of soup spilled. The pages of his book rustled in the draft from the window above.

"I'm sorry, what?" he struggled to get out. Sora giggled and plopped at his side in excitement, throwing his arm around Roxas' shoulder as he opened his mouth to explain. Roxas slipped from his grasp and hung at the side of the seat, elbow and fist rested firmly against the table, brow creased within an inch of its life. Sora encouraged Tidus to sit down, too. Tidus nodded and sank directly across from Roxas' gaze, slipping his essay from his cargo pants with shaking fingers. He glanced towards Sora with another helpless stare. Sora grinned and nodded. Tidus coughed. Then he took a deep breath and started to read.

" _Hello_ ," he greeted. " _My name is Tidus Morita. I am a boy in my first year of hero school with a dream. That dream is to kiss Yuna Aoki_."

Roxas blinked. Something like realization iced his coral complexion. Tidus and Sora were too engrossed in Tidus' love declaration to notice.

" _She is beautiful. She is kind. She is cool_."

Sora closed his eyes and nodded at the poetry of it, winking to tell Tidus he was doing a wonderful job. His miniature sat across from him nearly singing his lines, his pink cheeks trembling with emotion as he drew on. The longer he spoke, the straighter he sat. His volume seemed to rise automatically, until several surrounding heads swiveled towards him in confusion.

" _She is my dream and my life,"_ he heaved through shivering lips. _"But dreams must be dashed, for certain people. I am an ugly critter who is unlovable. I am disgusting, like a dead Moomba with swelling and hemorrhoids_."

"Mm," Sora sang in approval, giving a spirited shake of his head.

" _But there is one thing that could make her notice me. This is a wonderful kiss. I would like to take kissing lessons from an experienced gentleman_."

"You've got a spider on your nose," came a cutting voice from across the table. As Tidus shut up in shock, Sora glanced around to see where the suggestion had come from. When he realized Roxas had spoken, he reeled back in surprise. The boy's gaze had returned to his book. But he no longer laughed as he turned the pages. When Tidus whimpered and batted at his face with broad, manic strokes, Sora asked Roxas if he was being serious.

"It was a big brown one," Roxas responded through a mouthful of soup, gaze still averted. "Probably a baby wolf spider. They drop from the ceiling sometimes."

"A _wolf_?" Tidus squeaked in horror, forgetting the note altogether in favor of clamping his hands against his cheeks. Sora scowled and wrenched to his side, pulling him up by the chin and swiping his hands over the boy's nose until he was sure it was clear of anything but dust flecks.

"There," he said as he sat at Tidus' side. "All gone."

"But if it's off my face, then what if it's in my hair or clothes?" Tidus whimpered, struggling to keep from hyperventilating. As he clutched his hand to his heart and gripped the side of the table, Sora leaned towards him and caught him when he swayed forward. Roxas continued his soup in apparent disinterest as the heads surrounding snickered at Tidus' bent form. When Tidus yelped and jumped up with his arms around his head, Sora glanced around in embarrassment.

"What the heck, Tidus?" he hissed. Tidus groped around his top and cargo shorts with gusting breaths, whimpering that he felt something on the back of his neck.

"There's nothing there!" Sora whined. "Just sit down and finish the letter!"

"Sora," Roxas warned, glance trained fiercely on the boy's back. Sora ignored him in order to calm Tidus down. When the boy was sitting with essay smoothed in front of him once more, Sora told him to keep his voice down and try reading again. Tidus nodded and bit his lip to keep it from trembling. When his hands shook so bad the letter hummed like a helicopter in his grip, Sora sighed and wrenched it from him. He beamed and scooted in, folding one arm before him as he used the other to slip the letter before Roxas' eyes. When the crumpled paper fell atop Roxas' book with a flutter, the blond smoothed it and scooped it up. His soupspoon stood balanced before him in a perfect line as he read. Not a glimmer of a tremble ran through the sinews of his grip. His jaw pulled taught. His eyes scanned the page before him in quick, even sweeps. His nostrils flared larger and larger. Tidus sat with bated breath and a tense smile. The silence deafened.

When Roxas finished he folded the entreaty and gripped it hard in his hand. First he stared at Tidus. Then he stared at Sora. After taking full inventory of them both, he slipped Tidus' letter from his hand to his pocket. Then he returned his spoon to his soup, slammed his book shut, and asked Sora in a low purr if he could have a word with him outside the great hall. Before getting a reply, the blond wrenched himself from his seat and disappeared through the double entrance doors like a flickering shadow. Sora blinked at his receding form in surprise. When he stood, Tidus grabbed his arm.

"Did I sound too needy?" he whispered in a strangled way. When Sora said he sounded wonderful, Tidus begged for him to give him a good recommendation. With that, Sora left him alone to his thoughts, peeping through the great hall doors to see where Roxas had gone. The boy paced the balcony by the stairwell with his hands on his hips. Once he was sure Sora was walking towards him, he beckoned with the cock of his head for the boy to join him in the exit stairwell. When they got inside and Sora asked what was wrong, Roxas swiveled around and pierced him with a glance of fury.

"What the fuck was that bullshit?" he intoned, inches from Sora's face. Sora shrunk from his piercing gaze. When Roxas grabbed him by the arm and shook him, Sora yelped and shut his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" he whined. "I know Tidus doesn't have much money-"

"Fuck Tidus," Roxas spat. His face had transformed a violent shade of crimson. The muscles of his jaw pulsed as his hands trembled with energy. "What the fuck gave you the idea for this shit? Where is your fucking brain?"

"I- in my... head?" Sora tried. When Roxas scowled and pushed him away, Sora dropped his mouth and demanded to know what Roxas' problem was. Roxas glanced towards him as if he had two fiery heads.

"Seriously?" he snarled. "Do you prostitute all your friends after they do you a fucking favor? Is that the type of person you think I am?"

"I- what kind of, I don't," Sora blubbered. Within seconds Roxas was in his face again. "You think I'd just kiss anyone if they threw a couple munny at me?"

"What?" Sora gasped in confusion. "I-I'm not, I, Tidus just cried and said h-he didn't know what to do and I-I said I was getting lessons-"

"How many people know I've kissed you?" Roxas snapped in a strangled voice. Sora blinked and mumbled, "only Tidus."

"Is Tidus a talker?" demanded Roxas. Sora wanted to respond, "no." But Tidus had looser lips than he did. And Sora did not keep secrets well.

"H-he could be persuaded n-not to," Sora tried. Roxas' responding grimace made Sora trail off before he could finish. The blond attempted regaining composure. But when he tried breathing out, he groaned and tore his fingers through his hair. He shut his eyes and shook his head. Sora stepped towards him like a puppet with tangled strings, groping through empty air as if unable to touch at all. When his palm brushed against Roxas' shoulder, the blond pierced him with a caustic glare.

"You are lucky I don't bleed easily, Sora," he worded. "Because what you did was hurtful."

"I was trying to help someone!" Sora whined. "The way you helped me!"

"No, Sora," Roxas warned, shooting his forefinger before him and furrowing his brows. "You promised my body to someone, for money, without even bothering to check with me first."

"I- you're, d-don't you think," Sora sputtered through a nervous grin. "Don't you think you're overreacting?"

"What the fuck do you know, Sora?" Roxas boomed suddenly, nearly sending Sora out of his skin. When the blond advanced upon him, Sora cowered against the banister. Roxas bent his knees and drove his gaze into Sora's crumpled own, his nose millimeters from Sora's tucked chin. Once Sora blinked down with a trembling lip, Roxas' teeth gritted. His face contorted into a frightful grimace. His intent turned to speaking. Then, in an instant, his glance softened. His deep blue gaze pierced Sora's moistening eyes like sharp stones. His lips hesitated. Then his sagging shoulders straightened and he turned to file back up the stairs. When Sora tried calling up to him, he shook his head, muttering that the kissing lessons were over. Sora's heart nearly flew through his mouth. "Wait, w-what?" he gasped, clambering after Roxas and catching him by the arm. When Roxas turned to face him with eyebrows raised, Sora clasped his hand in his palms and stuttered that he needed his help. When Naminé's name crossed his lips, Roxas shut his eyes and shook his head with a chuckle. Sora bit his lip and begged his mind for reasons besides Naminé why he needed to kiss Roxas. To his shock, the most prominent one remained simply, that he liked it.

"I kissed you because I wanted to, Sora," said Roxas when Sora grew unable to form a complete sentence. "Not because I wanted to work on my sex education skills."

"Well, if you, I, you, we," Sora sputtered. Roxas entertained his rambling for several moments before nodding in pity and turning to go once more. Sora yelped and grabbed for his arm, missing and hitting the banister as the blond weaved past him for the stairwell door. As his hands pressed against the bar that unlocked it, Sora yelped for him to stop. When Roxas scowled and turned one more time, Sora drove his hands through his unruly brown hair and sucked in a deep breath.

"What, Sora?" Roxas snapped. "I can't stand listening to you stutter all day."

"Well, I- I like, I wanted to, say, I don't want you to st- because, I like kissing you, t-," Sora struggled, shocking himself into silence with the admission. Apparently it shocked Roxas too, because the boy stepped from the door to the step above Sora's feet with brows raised and cheeks pinked. Anxiety and want crashed over as Sora glanced up at him. Suddenly he was staring at Roxas' lips again. Then at the curve of his jaw. The crease of skin between his brows. The baby lines surrounding his smile. The flutter of his blond lashes. The dusting of freckles on his golden cheeks, painted coral with blush. His unfathomable blue eyes. Sora's heart hammered and twisted beneath his ribs. Roxas sunk another step, resting on Sora's own. They stood so close he could feel the boy's breath, see his pulse against the blue veins in his neck. Roxas licked his lips. Sora glanced from his eyes to his mouth once more. Roxas shifted again. That same childish tremble that had toyed with his breath and body the first time they had kissed returned, making him giggle and avert his gaze the nearer he crept to Sora's side. Sora crept closer as well. Their lips touched. Sora blinked in shock. Roxas raised a brow. He held up the back of his hand and asked if Sora needed a review. Sora gave an anxious giggle. Silence tore at his throat. Then he crashed his lips against the side of Roxas' mouth so that the boy yelped and fell against the stairwell banister with a clanging thud. Sora turned the opposite of Roxas until the sides of their noses drove into each other. As he threw his arms around Roxas' waist, Roxas captured Sora's bottom lip and drove it down. Sora opened wide. Their tongues curled and held as Roxas pressed the plump of his lips to the commissures of Sora's. Sora sighed through his nose. Roxas' fingers slipped around his shoulders and into his hair, pressing him closer than Sora thought two people could ever be. His whole face prickled. His eyelids fluttered. He curled his hands into Roxas' thick soft locks, twisting with his fingers as he pulled his head gently towards him. Roxas closed his eyes and sighed against Sora's cheeks in satisfaction, slipping his hands around the skin beneath Sora's shirt. Sora groaned as nails curled up his back. Tendrils of tiny electric shocks coursed down his spine until he shivered. The familiar, heavy heat burned between his legs again. When he leaned close enough for the heat to touch Roxas, Roxas gasped and let a hand squeeze where the small of Sora's back met his backside. Sora jolted and shied from Roxas' lips, glancing into his eyes as if for help. Roxas' teeth shone like stars against his coral skin as he beamed. Sora felt himself melting the longer he stared.

As his lips drew towards Roxas' again, the exit stairwell door crashed open and a pealing voice cried down. Sora rocketed from Roxas' grip so fast he nearly tumbled down the stairs. His hands scrambled around his burning cheeks as he glanced down the familiar tent in his pants with a curse. Roxas regained composure in the blink of an eye. When Sora chanced a peek over his shoulder to see who was walking down to meet them, he noticed that it was Tidus. The boy wore a wide eyed expression over his tousled shirt. He must have been hunting for the spider while they were gone. Roxas stifled his gusting breath by exhaling through his nostrils. Sora's attempted not to gasp. With back still turned, he cupped his hands over his knees and bent over. Tidus glanced towards him in befuddlement. Then he peered down at Roxas.

"Did- did you decide whether you would teach me?" he squeaked. Roxas stared at him. Then he gave a breathless chuckle and shook his head.

"I'm not going to teach you, Tidus," he apologized. "You need to find someone you know."

"Any friend of Sora's is a friend of mine!" barked Tidus with determination. His eyes glowed with tears. "Am- am I too dumb and ugly?"

"You're lovely, Tidus," responded Roxas. "But I don't kiss people for money."

"W-what's wrong with Sora?" Tidus added. Sora shot up straight but remained turned away. Roxas gave him a dull glance and then smiled.

"I upset him," he said. "I got angry at him for telling you I kissed him and that I'd kiss you without asking me first. It was wrong of him to do," he added with a pointed glance.

"Oh," Tidus gulped. The tears in his eyes grew so fat they trembled at the edges of his lashes. "I- I'm sorry, it's my fault, I- did I make Sora cry?"

"No, Tidus, I'm fine," Sora snapped. Soon the three of them stood in awkward silence. Tidus clasped his hands behind his back and drew his shoes in squeaking arcs along the concrete ground. Then he nodded to himself and muttered an unintelligible goodbye, pressing through the exit to the great hall and leaving Sora and Roxas on their own. Once the echo of the closing door petered to nothing and Sora shot Roxas a long, tentative glance, Roxas threw back his head and burst into laughter. Sora found his mouth twitching with a grin. His shoulders sagged in relief. He even chuckled. When Roxas wiped his eyes, he beamed in his disarming way, blushing from his forehead to the tips of his arms.

"Well," he started.

"Well," Sora muttered. Roxas shrugged. "Confused?" he asked. Sora fell silent. Then he sucked in a deep breath.

"There was no spider, was there?" he intoned. Roxas snorted and cocked his head. When Sora stepped towards him again, Roxas reached over and chanced a stroke to Sora's cheek with his thumb. Sora caught his palm in his own and pressed it to his skin without thinking. Roxas' blush deepened from coral to rose.

"Do you think we could, continue?" Sora whispered with a gulp. "Just until the drag show?"

"Continue what?" Roxas goaded with wide, innocent eyes. Sora scowled in irritation.

"Kissing!" he snapped.

"Is that when you plan to ask out Naminé?" said Roxas flatly. Sora hesitated before nodding. Roxas let his hand fall to his side, rolling his eyes as he closed them. When he glanced up again, he gave a defeated nod. Then he furrowed his brows.

"Sora?" he began. Sora nodded. Roxas pursed his lips.

"It is highly important that no one finds out I am kissing you," he intoned. "Otherwise, I have no choice but to stop. Can you trust me on that? Can I trust you?"

"Of course!" Sora breathed. Roxas nodded. With a glimmer of trepidation he leaned in and kissed Sora on the cheek. Sora froze as Roxas said goodbye. When the blond left his side and disappeared through the exit to the great hall, Sora stayed against the banister and touched his hand to his face. He ran his fingers through his hair. Then he scowled and kicked his toe against the metal bars. Without thinking he began trundling down the stairs, wondering if Cid Haze was working in the electrical room. He had the sudden urge to bare Hacky his soul. He had hardly spoken to her in weeks.

When he was one floor away from the elevators, a door slammed and familiar voices rose up. Both were dark and resonant. Almost twin. When Sora slunk to his haunches and peeped down, he noticed a sheath of purplish grey hair. Its owner's companion was dark, orange eyed, with grey spikey locks. Xemnas? And he was talking to. Soddy.

"You are an enigma, my friend," Xemnas thrummed as he set his hand on Soddy's shoulder. "I would have hoped to exchange information upon your arrival, but your connection to my old Master shatters my… trust."

"My sense of trust is based on action, not connections," Soddy responded. "I exist separately from the man I arrived with."

"Then you won't object to my asking how you acquired the key blade of our most promising _recruit_?" returned Xemnas with a smirk. Soddy narrowed his eyes.

"As far as I recall," he intoned, "Riku never desired or even imagined joining Organization Thirteen. Nor Shinra."

"Shinra is no concern of mine," replied Xemnas. "After your own words: my organization exists separately from those who grant it facility and material. And I was not thinking merely of my own desires when I said 'recruit.' I was speaking more in regards, of my uncle."

"Like many young men, Riku succumbed to emotional impulse," Soddy murmured. "Those who helped him along fed him fears and dreams to control him."

"I think we both know, _Ansem_ , that dispassionate and calculated thirst for power ran Riku into the arms of darkness," Xemnas shot back with a cryptic glance. "That is why you are here, and he is gone."

Soddy stepped back, falling to silence. He folded his arms behind his back. Sora watched his hands clench into fists. Ahead, Xemnas smiled and said that things were going to be all right.

"We have fresh, cooperative interest," he mused. "A dear friend."

"Sora would never," hissed Soddy, advancing. Xemnas threw back his head and laughed. Then he pointed to the top of the staircase.

"If you doubt, ask him yourself," he mused. Sora and Soddy froze at once. Two sets of hot golden eyes met one pair of blues. Soddy's gaze narrowed. Sora stifled a whimper. Xemnas cocked his head in greeting. Then he murmured that he was due in Reno's office in ten minutes.

"I leave both of you in capable hands," he added as he swept past Sora's side. Once he had let the exit door shut behind him with an echoing thud, Sora and Soddy stood in silence, Soddy at the stairwell base glancing up, and Sora at the top glaring down. Sora's first instinct was to demand Soddy tell him what Xemnas had been talking about. But logic taught him better. He pursed his lips and sucked in a deep breath. Then he nodded his head. Soddy's brow rose. Sora remembered what Reno had said. He chanced a half smile.

"Pretty weird guy, huh?" he tried. Soddy stuttered and straightened his shoulders, nodding with vigor. Then his eyes narrowed.

"Is what he said of you true?" he asked. "In regards to joining Organization Thirteen?"

"I considered," said Sora, adding, "once," with what he hoped was a threatening, enigmatic smirk. Soddy harrumphed. His cheeks pinked. A hint of a grin twitched at the side of his mouth.

"The Organization's sole purpose seems to be crafting new ways of harassing me," he chuckled, half to himself. When Sora laughed out loud, Soddy smiled. There was something in him strangely receptive.

"You must be tired of running into me by now," the man mused. Sora furrowed his brows and shrugged.

"Well… since you're a beast at stalking, it usually feels like the other way around," he tried. To his surprise, Soddy chuckled. Sora grinned. The question on his mind blurted out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"Can I talk to you about Riku?"

Sora clamped his mouth shut the moment it spilled out. Soddy blinked up at him in shock. For a moment he stood with mouth ajar. Then he nodded with vigor, adding that he would love to talk about Riku with him. Sora's heart hammered. He asked what time Soddy was free. Soddy shrugged and clasped his hands behind his back again. Sora wondered if they had balled into fists like they did with Xemnas.

"I am free following six o'clock every night," Soddy explained. "I inhabit Argento's old office."

"Oh," said Sora in slight sadness. Then he beamed and said it would be an easy route to remember. Soddy asked if Sora wanted to speak to him on Monday evening. Sora nodded and said he would bring his dinner with him, because he wanted to practice afterwards. Soddy grinned. There was more silence. As Sora waved and turned to leave, Soddy stopped him and said he would be happy to practice with Sora any time he needed it.

"I'm already in Mickey's key blade class," Sora intoned. Soddy nodded his head fast, beaming with relish.

"I understand!" he explained. "But sometimes it is useful to learn from several different professors at once. If ever Mickey is busy, try my office. It would be… beneficial for you, to become reacquainted with a blade of darkness."

"Uh huh," Sora muttered with furrowing brows. Then he called goodbye and stumbled up the stairs without visiting Hacky. As he trudged towards the great hall to finish the lunch he had never started, he wondered why Soddy was being so kind to him all of a sudden. A new plot must have been hatched. The way he became defensive at the mention of Sora's name. The way he said "Argento's old office." Sora shook his head in mistrust. The great hall spilled before him just as vibrant as it had twenty minutes ago. Tidus and Roxas sat side by side, Tidus yammering on as Roxas beamed in disinterest at his side. When he caught Sora's eye, he averted his gaze with a mischievous grin. As Sora walked towards them, he took one last peek over his shoulder and gritted his teeth.

 _"_ _If Soddy wants to keep his enemy close, I'll keep him closer,"_ he thought to himself. Then he cracked his knuckles and stomped for the lunch line, thinking of how sweet it would be to see the bozo locked away and Riku by his side once more.

~X~

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 **A/N: Hope you liked it! Roxas is just... a dear, to say the least. It makes me smile to write about him. Speaking of smiles, I watched the dance sequence from "Call Me By Your Name" and have been hooked on "Love My Way" by the Psychedelic Furs ever since. If I created a "Hero Academy" playlist, I'd probably stick it in there (even though it's utterly unrelated.) Also... Armie Hammer... Armie. Frickin'. Hammer. Anywhoo. When you FOLLOW, FAVORITE, and REVIEW, you can talk about how great Hero Academy is, how much you like the Psychedelic Furs, or how delectable Armie Hammer is. As Ari would say, see you fish side. **


	18. Side to Side

**A/N: Thank you SO SO much for the reviews, ForsakenXIII and Chirithy564! I also spied an extra follow and favorite, so that makes me really happy! What this whole story really is is a boy growing into an adult and coming to terms with his sexuality in the midst of a universal war. Obviously nothing is dire yet, but in coming chapters the situation will build. And Chirithy, you may be onto something! Just don't think that Sora or Roxas will have an easy path ahead of them...**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Eighteen_**

~X~

"Alright, everybody!" called Coco from the head of the black box. "Everyone wanting to perform needs to be in costume, in a circle, in five minutes!"

Over half the class scrambled into whatever pair of heels or dress shoes they could find. Sora used the old blue PVC pumps he wore last year. They were a bit scuffed along the edges, but otherwise dependable. His costume was Nao's old crop top and skirt. No one had hair or makeup done. Once they all stood shoulder to shoulder at the center of the room, Coco squeezed between them with a clipboard and asked if they had each prepared a song. Everyone nodded. She asked if they had prepared a professor impersonation for the snatch game. They nodded again. Coco beamed.

"Great!" she chirped. "We'll do walks first, to warm you up. Then songs, then professors. During the walks I'll call you up in pairs to see who our MC is going to be. Remember what we discussed: the MC's goal is to rise and read. Show no mercy!" she added with a wink. The class had watched _La Cité Is Burning_ not two weeks ago. Its fabulous MC and reads were fresh in everyone's minds. As they twittered nervously and stood single file, Coco told them to walk one by one.

"The category is Femme King and Queen!" she sang. Then she screeched, "go!" When everyone had begun to walk, she spied through the troupe of ten and pulled out Tidus and Selphie. Sora grinned to himself. When Tidus and Selphie reached the stack of risers at the back of the classroom, Selphie set her foot on the first step and clutched her hand over an invisible mic. Tidus slid on his belly beside her and rolled onto his side, propping his head up with his elbow and letting his other hand settle before him. One by one, they picked out people in line and praised or insulted them in as witty ways as they could muster.

"Now foa' the femme, the mystical, the fabulously fishy!" sang Selphie, snapping her fingers and carrying her hand over her head in a wide arc. Beside her, Tidus smacked his lips as if chewing gum.

"This is not a show about yoa' body odor, dahling," he said with a fabulous swish of his hair. Selphie nearly choked on her spit. When she sputtered towards Tidus with a glare, he told her not to hurt herself.

"Oh, dahling," she responded, "the only thing hurting me right now is yoa' hair," she sang.

"Says the girl who let her curlers fall down in her sleep," returned Tidus. "The sixties are ova', dahling! Stop letting yoa' grandmotha do yoa' hair!"

The class burst into laughter again. Selphie seemed to be getting irritated, so Coco switched her out for Kairi. Kairi grinned and stood at Tidus' side in a pair of baggy black jeans and a jacket that looked suspiciously like it belonged to Zell Dincht.

"Work, dahlings, work those fabulous buns!" she sang. "Pose, pose, pose, don't work too hahd, dahling, you might poke Miss Vampiyah's eyes out."

Sora blushed as Marceline looked behind her. He had jutted his arm out rather suddenly beside her head for a dramatic wrist flick. The class cackled as he blushed and set his arms at his sides.

"Now don't get shy, dahling," Tidus sang at him, snapping his fingers high. "Safety is a smaht queen's priority, but boring will not be tolerated!"

"I guess that means we have to kick you out, dahling!" Kairi cooed in Tidus' ear. Tidus gasped and flicked imaginary hair away from his shoulder as Coco screeched laughter. The students who would be working backstage screamed and cheered. When Kairi saw Cloud and Neku hiding at the foot of the classroom with their arms over their chests, she gasped and pointed to them.

"Look at those poor boys, ladies! The strong silent hero died out in the last millennia, dahlings, and he's not reappeared since! We only serve _participatory_ realness in this house!"

"We just came to the party to see if there was any free booze!" joked Neku, getting a laugh from the crew around him and a deep scowl from Coco. Tidus and Kairi "ooed" at one another and gave Cloud and Neku winking, sidelong glances.

"Oh, dahling, don't those dashing boys know the only drug we serve here is togethahness?"

"I think you mean rubbing alcohol, dahling!"

"Guys, get a hold of yourselves!" Coco interjected with a frown. She switched out Tidus for Yuna as Kairi called for Cloud and Neku to stand. She asked what their job for the drag show was. When Cloud responded with silence, she commanded him to come walk. Soon a chant of "Cloud, Cloud, Cloud!" rang throughout the entire room. At first Cloud ignored it with vehemence. Then, losing his ability to stand it any longer, he scowled and stood to a chorus of cheers. Coco charged for her bag to pick out a heel big enough for him. When she found a pair, he changed and waddled towards the continuing line with a glower. As he walked, Kairi and Yuna hooted.

"It looks like we've been transported!" sang Yuna. "Cloud Nine, dahling!"

"Oh, no, dahling," Kairi responded. "Storm and strife, dahling, storm and strife, look at the way she walks in those heels, oh, no, dahling. Oh my!" she screeched. Cloud had just stumbled into the back of the person ahead of him. "Don't let the earth take you yet, dahling! You are a woman of the sky, chin up, dahling! You don't look good eating dirt!"

Cloud blushed the darkest shade of violet Sora had ever encountered. Everyone struggled to keep his or her composure. One by one, they were all called up to MC. Most were lukewarm save for Sora, Kairi, Tidus, Joshua, and Marceline. Ari's commentary was just weird. When the walks ended, Coco announced a five-minute warm up break before the lip sync performances. As people drank water, massaged their feet, stretched, and chatted, she popped around to confirm who was doing what. When she got to Sora and asked for his song, he said he had sent it to Neku in an email. Coco decided to go with him and see if it was there. When they reached Neku's side and asked if the song was ready, Neku furrowed his brows.

"The link is broken," he murmured. "I can't pull it up. I can't even find it by title."

"What?" snapped Sora, lurching to Neku's side to pull up the video himself. When he cried that it was saved in the library data scape, Coco clapped her hand to her forehead.

"Oh, Sora!" she gasped. "The data scape is being cleaned out! The video might have been lost!"

Sora almost fainted. He glanced towards Ari, who was running through the moves for "Formation," with gusto. As Sora watched, he gritted his teeth. Everyone was practicing choreography or reviewing lyrics. Everyone but him.

"Is there a song similar, Sora?" asked Coco. Sora shrugged and asked if there was any more vogue music in the data scape.

"I could try to pull up a remix," tried Neku, but Coco shook her head. "I want an original," she said. "And Sora, I love your research, but if we do this in the Teatro we need a song that the audience will latch onto."

"Sora could perform with me!" chirped Joshua as he pulled his hair back into a long ponytail. His blond curls and heavily lashed purple eyes made him enviously beautiful without a spot of makeup.

"What's your song again, Joshua?" asked Coco.

"Side to Side," Joshua responded. Coco gasped and clapped, turning to Sora with a beam. "This is perfect, Sora!" she squealed.

"It is?" said Sora, foreboding gripping his gut.

"Yes!" Coco responded with a sigh and sparkling eyes. She waved her hands in front of her as though illustrating a twinkling moonbeam. "The world has seen "cute" Sora! Now they get to see him turn sexy!"

"Wait a, what?" Sora blurted. Last time he tried a sexy pose, he looked like a baby with a bad back. If Sora looked up "sexy," in the dictionary, he was pretty sure his picture would be listed under antonyms.

"A smart queen does what she has never done before!" Coco hissed, clutching Sora's hand as if her life depended on it. "Embrace your femininity, Sora! Irga shall not be held back!"

"I think Irga is doing just fine the way she is," muttered Sora. He had already devised a whole dance routine. He did not even know the lyrics to "Side to Side." When he tried protesting, Coco warned that if he did not find a song or partner in the next three minutes, he would not perform at all.

"And if you don't perform, the show won't happen!" she added with a quavering voice. When she stalked off, Sora turned to Joshua with a helpless glance. Joshua held out his phone and an earplug. When he asked if Sora wanted to learn the lyrics really fast, Sora shrugged and set the plug in. The volume turned up.

 _"_ _I been there all night,"_ called a strong, bubbly voice. Another responded with what Sora guessed was her name in the background. _"I been there all day, and boy, you got me walkin' side to side."_

"I thought I'd have to cut out the rapping, but if there's two of us, I could do Nicki and you could do Arianna."

"Who's Arianna?" asked Sora.

"The girl singing," responded Joshua.

"Why's she walking side to side?" asked Sora.

"Wouldn't you walk funny if you had sex for twenty four hours?" replied Joshua. Sora stared at him in horror. Then he coughed and continued listening, his discomfort increasing with each bar.

 _"_ _Baby what's it gonna hurt if they don't know? Making everybody think that we solo. Just as long as you know you got me, and boy I got you."_

All at once, Roxas' face popped into Sora's mind. Sora blushed so hard he could barely keep his head up. Joshua laughed at him. Coco watched both of them with a hopeful glance.

"If you want, I can have you guys go last," she called. "So you have time to learn the choreography. You'd have to practice in the hall, though."

Sora gulped and shivered. Joshua patted him on the back and said he would be standing outside whenever Sora was ready. Sora nodded. After making sure his pumps and skirt were on tight and his hair was pulled back, he trudged through the black box entrance doors into the hall. Joshua was on his haunches fiddling with the speaker on his phone. When the beginning of the song was set to play, he called Sora over. A video was starting up on his phone. A dance video. Sora gulped.

"This is what I took my inspiration from," Joshua explained. "Course, mine isn't this complicated."

The bodies in the video looked at times like water, at other times like sparks. The only constant seemed to be that they were better dancers than Sora would ever be. He bit his lip. For his song last year, he had really just improvised the whole thing.

"Okay," Joshua explained. "First part is sexy you-do-you."

When he started the song again, Sora watched him move. Joshua popped his butt back, pressed his chest forward, and cocked his head at a sideways angle. As Arianna began singing, he curled and swiveled his torso until he was squatting with his legs apart and rubbing his hands around his thighs. When the words, "side to side," played, he glanced from one shoulder to the other. While he did so, his arms waved on either side of him in a kind of water motion. On, "I'm talkin' to ya," he popped back to his feet and started an elaborate, blisteringly fast set of choreography that continued until the next refrain, in which he slid to his stomach and began crawling across the hallway floor. When he rolled over onto his side and asked Sora to pause the music, Sora nodded. Once the beat stopped, Joshua asked what Sora thought.

"It… looks…" Sora started, lost for words. Joshua raised an eyebrow. "I think we should just work to the second verse. I'll teach you the rest through the week."

Sora nodded and followed dumbly as Joshua taught him the choreography. Amethyst and Pearl, two freshmen who danced professionally back in their home world, had been coaching the entire club four hours a week for three weeks. Usually Sora was a fast learner. But today, he felt stiff and stupid. Every time Joshua's hips or chest or waist curved and curled Sora faltered in embarrassment. By the time Neku called them back in, he had stumbled through the choreography once.

As he trudged like a zombie to the classroom center, Coco called him back to the bleachers. Turned out that there was one more group to go before them. Belle and Marceline leaned together on the opposite wall, Marceline tuning her guitar while Belle ruffled up her hair and checked herself in the long mirror Coco had brought for them. She seemed to have borrowed one of Marceline's outfits. Black skinny jeans, combat boots, horned bracelet, and a sleeveless cut off black top. When everyone sat down, Coco gave a one-minute warning. Belle and Marceline scrambled to the center of the room. When Coco raised her fingers to her mouth and whistled, Belle announced that they would be performing "Add It Up," by the Violent Femmes. Belle lowered her head and gripped an imaginary mic. Marceline pulled over a black cube and slammed her boot against it. Neku raised his hand. When it swiped down, Belle raised her head and began.

 _"_ _Day… after dayyyyy…."_ Warbled a slightly off key, high-pitched male voice. Sora cocked his head in confusion when he heard it. There was no introduction, no accompaniment. The declaration was acapella. Belle raised her hand to her heart and clutched it, lolling her head and air mic back with a melodramatic stare. _"I will waaaalk, and I will play… But the dayyyyyy… after todayyy… I will stop… and I will start."_

For a moment there was silence. The entire class glanced around at each other in slight befuddlement. Belle and Marceline froze. Then it happened.

A rippling drum beat and grinding guitar strings pulsed through the air like a rumbling train, twangy and off kilter. As Marceline strummed along to the riff, Belle began to bounce on her feet and bang her head in time with the beat. Suddenly the pulse punctuated into two long twangs and a round of speed drumming that hitched before returning to the original path. When the drum sped up again, Belle raised the air mic to her mouth and advanced on the audience with a demanding expression and an outstretched palm.

 _"_ _Why can't I get, just one kiss?"_ she asked. _"Why can't I get, just one kiss? There'd be some things that I wouldn't miss-"_

With a run overlaid by another round of speed drumming, Belle jumped in front of Kairi and raked her hand across her chest in mock longing.

 _"_ _But look at your pants and, I need a kiss."_

A chorus of blistering cheers rang throughout the room as the drum started back up. As Belle moved to her next victim with a gritty glare, Kairi fanned herself luxuriantly. Sora beamed and cackled until he found Belle kneeling in front of him on her knees. His smile faltered as a bad blush curled along his cheeks.

 _"_ _Why can't I get, just one screw?"_ she asked. _"Why can't I get, just one screw? Believe me, I know what to do, but something won't let me make love to you."_

Sora furrowed his brows in confusion as raucous laughter broke out around him, realizing too late that he had cupped his hands protectively over his dick when Belle got too close. When he tried laughing himself, he wheezed. As the guitar rose in volume and the singing fell away, Belle hopped and head banged her way to the back of the room while Marceline took the front. The vampire princess two-stepped until she was charging back and forth through the bleachers, kicking over chairs and making people screech in delight when she did her black eye trick and hissed her tongue at them.

 _"_ _Why can't I get, just one fuck?"_ Belle shot in. _"Why can't I get, just one fuck? Guess it's got something to do with luck,"_

As the next lyric came, Belle sunk to her knees melodramatically and pumped her fist downwards towards her, looking to the sky in feigned want as she trailed off, _"But I've waited my whole life for just one…"_

There was the briefest moment of silence as Belle glanced towards Coco with an apologetic glance and winked. The class roared and pumped their fists as she jumped up and continued.

 _"_ _Dayyy, after dayyyy, I get angryyyy! And I will sayyyyyy, that the dayyyy, is in my siiiightt, when I'll take a bow and say goodnight!"_

For a moment the drum revved up again. Belle ran to the back of the room and snapped her fingers as the song started off soft. As it rose in volume Belle straightened her back and pumped her fist through the air. Marceline appeared beside her. A small bit of choreography began as the girls stepped in sync from side to side. Then, another guitar riff slammed off, harder than the one before, and Marceline was back again, tearing around like a creature of flame. The solo stopped before it started. Belle was laying on the floor stomach down, advancing. Crawling. Looking for her next victim. Landing on. Cloud Strife. Cloud blinked in horror and arousal at her advancing form as the people surrounding gasped and squealed.

 _"_ _Broke down kitchen at the top of the stairs, can I mix in with your affairs? Share a smoke, make a joke- grasp and reach for a leg of hope."_

Elsa screeched in surprise as Belle pinched her leg. The class burst out with laughter. Belle yelped and rolled as Elsa summoned a shard of ice and blasted it at the back of her neck. By now Belle had risen to standing just a few feet from Cloud's splayed legs.

 _"_ _Words to memorize, words hypnotize, words make my mouth, exercise."_ She sang as she stopped right before him. " _Words all failed the magic prize- nothing I can say while I'm in your thighs."_

With a sudden hip thrust towards the space between Cloud's legs, she shot her head back and danced towards the middle of the black box floor. Cloud cinched his knees shut and cupped his hands over his groin like a fig leaf as his eyes widened and his cheeks burned.

 _"_ _Oh ma-mama, mo-ma, mo-my mother, I would love to love you, lover,"_ Belle sang, shooting her forefinger at Yuna with a wink. Yuna screeched in delight and leaned off of her seat to grind the air before her legs. As Tidus watched her, his eyes grew to the size of saucers and his face turned blue. By the time Sora reminded him to breathe, he was swaying and groaning, Yuna had sat back down, and Belle was on to the next person.

 _"_ _City is restless, it's ready to pounce, oh, here in your bedroom, ounce for ounce!"_

As once again the accompaniment rose in ferocity, the room rang with a chorus of, "Add it up!" Marceline and Belle lip-synced together and encouraged the rest of the club to join in. Soon the whole room was bouncing around the bleachers like fools, head banging and shimmying against one another. Before Sora knew it, he was thrashing around with Kairi and Ari, like a twisted reenactment of the trio's old times together. The chorus that began the song started again and the guitar riff when crazy. Marceline slid to the floor and bucked her hips into the instrument as she shoved herself in a circle with her feet, clenching her teeth in near orgasmic joy as her fingers moved like lightning along the strings. Sora gasped when he realized that she was actually playing along to the music. When the song finished and Belle and Marceline dragged themselves center stage amidst puffs and gasps, the room erupted with applause. The duo blushed and hugged one another. It took a full ten minutes for Coco to regain control. When she did, she was beaming, her cheeks were glowing, and she looked close to lift off.

"Well, I think we can all say that that is a keeper!" she warbled. "Although we will have to remove the 'fucks.'"

As the curse word left Coco's mouth, the class screeched and cheered. Coco slammed her palm over her face and whimpered in embarrassment. When she recovered, she commented that Sora and Joshua were last up. The glowing grin that had plastered Sora's face till now wiped away. When he glanced down, he noticed Joshua was already signaling to Neku from center stage. Scrambling up, Sora dashed down to meet him, nearly tripping over someone's backpack in the process. When he finally stumbled to Joshua's side, he shook like a leaf. As he looked at the faces around him in terror, he thought that he would rather be cooked in oil than perform for them. A buzzing sound was ringing in his ears, making him feel faint. When he realized it was just Joshua hissing for him to stand at his side, he jumped and trundled towards him. By the time he turned around, the song had started and Joshua was doing his sexy bit where he slowly sank to his knees. Sora popped right down just in time to do the water arms. Then, the choreography began.

 _"_ _See ya standin' over there with your body, feeling like I wanna rock with your body, and we don' gotta think bout nothing, I'm coming at you."_

Sora stumbled as he did the arm rise and run Joshua taught him. A couple sharp intakes of breath rose around him. Sora felt as though he could die from embarrassment. Then a single, peeling cheer rang through the air. It sounded like Kairi's voice. Another accompanied it. Ari. Soon the entire room was clapping.

 _"_ _Cause I know you got a bad reputation, doesn't matter cause you're giving me temptation, and we don' gotta think bout nothing."_

Then came the most complicated part. Joshua had skipped this piece with Sora altogether, commanding him to start a clap from his chest and raise his hands above his head until "Can't hear them." Sora attempted popping his hips and swaying side to side on the handclap as Joshua broke it down in front of him, but he felt stiff as a board.

 _"_ _Can't hear them, no, cause, I…"_ Sora tried going "nuts," as Joshua had suggested on the rising synthetic drumbeat, but it just wasn't in him. He ended up swishing his hair and sort of jogging in place. Then the dreaded chorus returned.

 _"_ _I been there all night, I been there all day, and boy, you got me walking side to side."_

As Joshua splayed himself across the wood floor, Sora attempted swaying his hips and waving his hands around his torso. He caught Neku cringe. His heart fell. He was relieved when the song cut off. Joshua panted as he used Sora's leg as a grip to stand. When both were on their feet, Coco stared at them with a plastic smile. Then she chirped and called for a five-minute break, after which everyone would do a one-minute improvisation of his or her chosen professor for the snatch game. While everyone congratulated Belle, Marceline, and Ari on their amazing lip syncs, Sora hid in the black box corner and milked his bottle of water. When a set of feet walked towards him, he sighed and looked up. Kairi and Tidus stood before him with Coco following close behind.

"Thanks for the cheering," Sora muttered, "I needed it."

"It'll get better, Sora," Kairi said. Sora blinked at her anew, realizing for the first time that he had not spoken to her in an entire year. She had changed so much. Her hair was past her shoulders, her cheeks and arms thinner. There was a dark determination to her eyes that had never been present before. Before Sora could speak further, Coco barreled over and slumped down at his side. Selphie called Kairi. Tidus disappeared the minute Yuna came to congratulate Kairi on her MCing. Once Sora and Coco were alone, she patted his hand.

"I was horrible, wasn't I?" Sora blubbered, wiping tears from his eyes.

"No, Sora, not at all," Coco cooed, rubbing his shoulder. "In fact, I was surprised by how fast you got the choreography. You're just feeling new things and are afraid of judgment. You're in a safe space."

"Coco, I know last year I said I couldn't do it and I did it," Sora warned with a pleading expression. "But this year, I really don't want to do it."

"I know, Sora," Coco said through a sigh. "But I've got a really good feeling that you'll thank yourself for trying."

"Coco, I don't know the first thing about being sexy!" Sora croaked. "I can't even get the girl I like to look twice at me!"

Coco touched Sora's shoulder and beamed. "That's because you're not demanding her attention, Sora! You don't have a stable structure to stand on with her! And if you don't love yourself, how the hell are you going to love anyone else?"

"But, I- I do love m-myself," Sora lied, cursing his trembling lip. To his surprise, Coco reached out and patted his cheek.

"Sora," she intoned. "Remember what I said last year about your compassion?"

Sora sniffed and nodded. Coco winked. "Why don't you give a little bit of it to yourself?"

Neku came and told Coco the five minutes were up. When everyone gathered together to do their professor impersonations, a slight misstep in planning was realized, evident in the fact that as of now, there were only six female professors in the entire school, and that every boy in LGBTQ only knew two of them. Several people, including Sora, lampooned Coco. Sora had to admit that Tidus brought it better than he did. When all was said and done, Coco murmured that there would have to be a massive rethinking of the Snatch Game. Everyone nodded. Since it was only thirty minutes till the end of class, Coco decided to let everyone out early. Only club officers and crew stayed behind. When a small square of rectangular fold out tables was situated at the room's center, Elsa, Marceline, Joshua, Belle, Sora, Yuna, Shiki, Neku, Pearl, and Amethyst sat around in a circle with Coco at the lead. Belle called the meeting into action. Coco leaned forward and asked Elsa what was on the menu. Elsa sighed and slipped out a folder marked, "LGBTQ" from her bag. When she opened it, she scribbled down a few words and said hello to everyone.

"That was informative," she commented. A round of chuckles sounded through the room. "First things first, did you go to the Teatro, Sora?"

"Yeah" Sora sighed, forgetting for a moment that he had traipsed down last weekend. "They said they have Thursday and Friday slots in the smallest space from 6 to 10. They said it's a thrust theatre," Sora rolled his eyes at the ensuing laughter as he continued, "so better for runway."

"How much, Joshua?" asked Elsa.

"800,000 munny for two nights," Joshua responded. "All amenities included."

"Shiki?"

"From the pool of stuff we have access to, I'd say the highest design cost would be 400,000, including wigs, hair product, and new makeup. So I guess, 1,200,000 in all."

Everyone sucked in a deep breath. Though munny, as a currency, was far less valuable than say, drachmas, one could not help but wince at dropping a million of anything.

"Can we lower costumes to 200,000?" asked Coco. "Does the theatre have a school discount?"

"I think they'd be willing to compromise," Joshua murmured. Sora nodded and scribbled himself a note labeled, _"find persuasive techniques."_ Once money business was finished with, they moved on to deciding the structure of the show itself.

"We've got to vote on MC," said Coco.

"Kairi and Tidus were hilarious," said Shiki. Everyone agreed. Coco bit her lip, saying they needed people more infamous.

"Sora and Yuna?" tried Joshua. "Cloud?"

"Tidus deserves it," snapped Sora. "I already did it."

"I think it would be a great learning opportunity for him!" chirped Coco. When she asked if everyone was all right with Tidus and Yuna, they agreed. Next came song choices.

"'Add It Up,' was fucking amazing," blurted Neku. Riotous concurrence rippled around him. When Coco asked what they thought of 'Side to Side,' they chattered that it would get better. Eventually it was decided that Cloud, Belle, Marceline, Ari, Sora, Joshua, Elsa, Kairi, Selphie, Pearl, and Amethyst would all perform in some shape or form. Then, the meeting was adjourned. By the time everyone cleared up and filed out, it was already ten past six. Sora bit his lip and charged to the great hall to pick up some dinner. On impulse, he swiped a few bites for Soddy. No harm in making the man think he cared about his wellbeing. When he reached Argento's door and rapped three times, a deep voice called for him to come in. Sora popped his head inside the frame with brows raised. Soddy was sitting at the desk as if misplaced, rubbing exhaustion from his eyes. When Sora asked what was wrong, the man muttered, "paperwork." Sora nodded in commiseration. Being a club officer for LGBTQ was not easy. First the pair settled down and got used to each other's silence. Sora indicated the extra bag of crackers and cookies. Soddy nodded in thanks and nibbled a few. Sora started into his dinner. Halfway through, Soddy asked what Sora wanted to know.

"When did you meet Riku," asked Sora mid swallow.

"May," responded Soddy with surprising swiftness. "Wandering in the outer world. He gifted me his key blade."

"You can't gift a key blade," growled Sora.

"Hurt too much to use it," Soddy mumbled, ignoring him. "Gifted to me because I was the only person capable of shouldering it. Didn't trust himself anymore."

Sora blinked at Soddy in baffled wonder. The man looked. Sad. Confused. Even lost. Sora's fingers twitched with the urge to take his hand. But he relinquished his palms and folded them in his lap. Set his jaw. Asked what Riku looked like when he met him. Soddy blinked in puzzlement before shrugging.

"Ah… normal boy his age, I suppose…"

"Riku was different to everyone else," grumbled Sora. Soddy shut his eyes and scoffed.

"He was special to you because you were his friend," he intoned. Then his expression softened. "He looked as though he once had bright eyes. He seemed tired. The skin of his face was sunken."

"What did he tell you?" asked Sora. Soddy glanced over his shoulder and checked to see if the window was closed. Then he peered to the door and folded his hands in front of him. "That he was on the run," he stated.

"From Marluxia?" gasped Sora. He knew the man had tampered with Riku's dreams as he lay in the memory pod that summer. Soddy shrugged before murmuring, "from everyone. Mostly himself."

"Him… self?" Sora insisted. Soddy's face slacked with another melancholy gaze. He nodded. Sora narrowed his eyes.

"Did he tell you when he was coming back?" he asked. Soddy shook his head, amending that Riku said he would return when he was ready.

"He said he needed to know…" the man struggled, "that he would be accepted. Despite all he did."

"Of course he would!" gasped Sora. "Everyone who met him was in awe of him!"

"Riku realized too late that there are certain people who matter… more," Soddy murmured, gazing at Sora with a strange, penetrating glance. It made the boy squirm. Suddenly, Soddy leaned forward.

"As I said, Sora," he warned, "when I met him, he had changed. His hair, his skin, his eyes…"

"Did he develop rosacea or something?" snapped Sora. "Because I wouldn't give a flying nut if Riku had one arm, three eyes, blotchy skin, and a hump the size of the bell tower!"

"R-really?" managed Soddy in a croak. His eyes were brimming with tears. Sora reeled back in disgust. He forgot to notice his nails digging into the skin of his own legs. Blood prickled in little buds around the scratches. He gritted his teeth.

"Yes. That's what friends do. They care about one another. No matter what." He intoned. Soddy had the nerve to chuckle.

"In some ways people might call Riku lucky," he bumbled. "But, in a form so loathsome… he did worry whether… whether those most important to him would… accept him."

Soddy glanced down at his hands. Sora blinked towards the man's chest in shock, staring through it rather than at it. His lip curled. He held back a snarl. Soddy stared at him with big, simpering golden eyes. There was a yearning in their gaze that made Sora sick to his stomach, as if the man wanted to jump down his throat and melt into him. A shiver ran through Sora as he thought about it. His lunch twisted in his stomach. He stood and muttered that he needed to go. Soddy's eyes widened in surprise.

"A-are you sure?" he barked. "It's been fifteen minutes!"

"Can I talk to you some other time?" Sora asked. "When I, when I have the chance to think things through?"

Soddy planted him with a wide-eyed stare. Then he nodded his head in the vigorous way he always did and reminded Sora about weapon training. Sora mumbled a semblance of acknowledgement and goodbye under his breath. Then he slammed out the door and trudged down the hall. The way Soddy spoke about his old friend made him want to punch a wall. Like he was one with him.

"Fucker," Sora snarled to himself, jolted by his own vitriol. In horror he realized he had never hated someone with such viciousness. Not Ari. Not even Vanitas.

Thoughts of the drag show, Roxas, Tidus, and even Axel drifted through his head and made him groan. He had to learn to be sexy in two weeks, a quality so painfully elusive that he got hives just thinking about it. As he scratched at his wrists, he bit his lip. He wondered if Roxas could teach him how to be sexy. Then again, he was acting the part of a female in the drag show. How would Roxas know what he found attractive in a woman? With a jolt, Sora raised his head and set his jaw. There was only one other person he trusted or liked enough to ask.

~X~

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 **A/N: Hope you guys liked it! The annual drag show will be coming in chapter 22, so stay tuned for some SERIOUS drama. Get ready for shit to go down real fast. FOLLOW, FAVORITE, AND REVIEW! **


	19. Hot to Cold

**A/N: Oh my gosh! I was floored by all the comments! Thanks, guys! T.T Yes... drama certainly awaits... hehehe... this is a long chapter... get ready for some heavy prose...**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Nineteen_**

~X~

Sora stood in front of Axel's office trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing. The worst the redhead could say was "no," which he had, whenever Sora asked him something too uncomfortable for him to answer. Sora bit his lip and peeked from one end of the hall to the other. Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and knocked three times. No reply. He frowned and knocked harder, wishing Axel were as easy to run into as Soddy. After the third round he kicked the door and stomped for the stairs. When he glanced at the clock at the end of the hall, he groaned. Six twelve. Axel was not in the great hall eating dinner. Where else could he be? Hugging the banister while descending, Sora ran through backup teachers in his mind, terrifying himself when he realized he might lose the courage to ask anyone at all. Were there videos on "how to be sexy" in the data scape? With a sniffle he made it to the stairwell by the great hall just as a familiar head bobbed past his line of vision. Without thinking Sora called out to it. The halo of spikey, brown hair turned in response. Its owner winked. Sora grinned and waved. When he reached Yuna's side, she asked what was up. Sora shrugged.

"Just hung up on Joshua's song," he muttered. His shoulders sagged as the corners of his mouth turned down. As Yuna watched him wilt, she cocked her head and asked if he wanted to come to her dorm. Sora's face singed with a violent blush. He gave a nod. As he followed her towards the girl's hall, he peeked behind him to see if Tidus was anywhere nearby. When he finally reached her door, she knocked and asked if anyone was in. No one replied. She smiled and slipped in her key, opening the door and letting Sora in first. A beautiful jeweled and ribbon dressed khakkhara hung draped in silk across the wall above the left top bunk. On the desk by the bunk's side was a square, zip up brief case with twin pistols inside. Yuna closed the case and set it beneath the desk chair before Sora could get a good look at them. Then she fished through the desk's righthand drawer for what looked like a photo album. When she landed on a picture she liked, she chuckled and held it out for Sora to see. The face within gave him a start. She had side swept, shoulder length chestnut hair with honey highlights. Bangs parted to the left. A beaded braid behind her right ear. Plump bare skin. Yevonite ceremonial attire. As Sora took her picture in his hands, he sat on her bed. Yuna plopped down beside him and glanced over his shoulder, leaning in as she pointed. She smelled like salt and hibiscus. Home.

"Me during my first year here," she giggled. "You know I used to be the most popular religious singer in all of Luca?"

Sora nodded. He remembered fawning over a picture like this with Tidus and Riku a couple years back. Now the girl herself sat beside him and sighed.

"I continued writing and recording when I got here," she murmured. "As time went on, I found myself changing with the content. My first summer home, I chopped all my hair off, folded away my staff, and changed management teams. I wanted to reach a wider audience. So I stepped into the darkness and found a new me."

"What… new you?" goaded Sora in a shy murmur. Yuna leaned closer and winked. Sora clamped his legs to stop them from shaking.

"Sexy me!" she chirped. All Sora could do was croak a half giggle, half whimper. Yuna pealed with laughter and stood him up, letting the photo album fall from his hands to the floor. Then she led him to the standing mirror at her bedside. When he looked in it, he saw a dumpy fifteen-year-old with fat cheeks, baby lips, watery blue eyes, and Popsicle stick arms and legs. His chin quivered. It didn't help that Yuna was three inches taller than him. When she saw the tears pool against his cheeks she cooed and rubbed his arms. Sora broke away and met her glance.

"I, I don't," he started in a stutter. Then he closed his eyes, wiped away any moisture, and took a deep breath. When he regained composure, he opened them and said that he could not do it.

"Do what?" asked Yuna.

"I can't be sexy," Sora said with a gulp. "I can be funny, a- and cute, b-but, if I tried to be... you know, I-I'd cry, or scream, or m-melt…"

"Sora!" Yuna exclaimed, jolting him back to her side. "That's the beauty of being human! The hardest things you have to figure out for yourself!"

Sora furrowed his brows. Then he asked how Yuna figured it out. After a grin she leaned back against the wall behind the bedframe and glanced up in thought. When she recovered, she stretched her arms and legs in front of her in contentment.

"To me, sexiness is being comfortable with every part of yourself," she explained. "I feel like a lot of Destiny Islands' culture and literature steals that from us. But to be a pop star... it's kind of a requirement. Seeing your performance in the drag show last year knocked me off my feet! You reminded me that sexiness is so diverse, and that it doesn't have to be a tool to get people to notice you- it's a power- it's the ability to stand up for who you are unabashedly!"

As Yuna giggled and set her hand to her cheek, Sora furrowed his brows and beat back a blush. When he muttered that that performance had been the reason Wakka left the academy, Yuna snorted and shrugged.

"From what I heard about Wakka from Tidus, there was more to his exit than that," she sighed.

"Really?" Sora responded in surprise. Yuna nodded.

"I mean, think about it from a religious standpoint," Yuna explained. "Wakka spends his whole life avoiding machina and worshiping Yu Yevon under the presumption that it'll stop an apocalypse, and then he travels to a world without Yevon that's doing just fine."

"Well..." Sora started, faltering in discomfort as he tried working things through. He had certainly not been as dutiful in religious worship as Wakka back home, but that did not mean he did not believe in Yevon law at all. But now that he thought about it in terms of what he had encountered in the Land of Departure and his dream quest, the belief system rang strangely hollow. When he tried gulping down the sadness this realization brought him, it rested in the base of his throat, along with the strange relief that Wakka's departure had not been entirely his fault. When Yuna nudged him, he jolted and stared up at her. She was smiling. When she asked if she had offended him, he shook his head with vigor. Yuna laughed.

"And it's not just as simple as that, either, Sora. There's a lot of things about this school that would alienate someone from home, things that are good and bad. Just believe what you want," she added in a murmur. "Especially if it allows you to believe in yourself. Sexiness is simply taking notice of yourself- being proud of who you are and showing it unabashedly. Naked yoga is great."

Sora furrowed his brows, trying to force his mind away from Wakka and what Yuna had said about alienation back to the mission at hand. Naked yoga. Well, naked was easy. Sora had never been modest back on Destiny Islands. Then again, he guessed he was only comfortable naked in certain contexts.

"Stand in front of a mirror and just start moving your body in weird ways," Yuna suggested. "Become comfortable with everything it can do. You dance pretty well. And you're flexible, right?" she asked. Sora flushed rose but nodded. Strength and flexibility were kind of a given for navigating the play island back home. Some of the mountains were so difficult to climb he practically had to do the splits to reach the top. It did not help that he was rather short. When Yuna asked if he could do the splits, he shrugged and shimmied into them. When she asked for side splits, Sora slipped into them with ease. Yuna clapped in delight. Then she asked Sora what shoe size he was. When he mumbled that he was a 40, she tapped her chin and slid several pairs of her own from under her bed. None fit. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Then she bit her lip and crawled to the room's other side, sifting through the shoeboxes under the opposite bunk. When she peeped into a badly scuffed box on the end of the row, she gasped and slid it out. Inside snuggled a pair of six-inch platform heels. Strappy. Peep toe. Black, inlaid with little beads like twinkling stars in a night sky. Steel toe. A bright, twinkling silver heel. When Sora brushed his fingers over one of them, Yuna told him to put them on.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked. Yuna glanced towards the door and nodded. "They're Quistis', but she never wears them. Just put them on so I can see. Then I'll ask if you can borrow them."

Sora did not like the idea of trying on someone else's belongings before asking their permission. But he did as Yuna asked and strapped the heels on, wobbling to standing and clipping around the small room with his hands on either side of him. His blue PVCs were four and a half inches. These felt like death traps. As Sora yelped and tripped over a stray pair of pants, Yuna caught him in her arms. When he glanced into her heterochromatic eyes, his mouth went dry. He wanted to ask if his whale breath had returned, but he already knew the answer.

"H-how, d-do y-," he gusted. Yuna set her finger to his lips and mouthed, "practice." Sora blushed harder and nodded, glancing back towards the mirror. He looked slightly ridiculous in athletic shorts, a workout tank, and the glittering heels, but they certainly plumped out his calves in an attractive way.

"You really just need to get in front of a mirror and move what feels good," Yuna explained as he teetered around again. When Sora giggled at her, she clapped and squealed. A blush crept along her cheeks, as well.

"See, Sora!" she chirped. "You're already doing great."

"Sexy yet?" Sora joked with a snort. Yuna gave him a narrow, inscrutable glance. Then she grinned and winked. "You were already sexy, Sora. It's just time to take it to the next level."

"I- I was?" Sora gulped in shock. Suddenly the boy in the mirror looked different. For a moment, his arms and legs transformed to lean muscle. His shoulders curved in an attractive way. He had a warm, welcoming face and sparkling blue eyes. A sly nose. A crinkling smile.

"D-do you think anyone else sees?" he asked with a shy glance. Yuna leaned against her bedframe and gave a long giggle, ending with, "oh, Sora." Sora felt his face grow hot again. Yuna shot him a sly glance.

"I'd love to tell you all the names," she cooed. Then she winked. "But I'm going to keep you guessing."

"Naminé?" Sora cried, nearly tumbling over her lap in hope. Yuna blinked and opened and closed her mouth in befuddlement. Then she furrowed her brows.

"Isn't she always with Riku?"

The name shot through Sora's gut, but he ignored it and sat close to Yuna's side. "I'm going to ask her out after the drag show," he gulped. "I-I-it's got to be good. The performance. Not just for her. For- for other reasons," he muttered. Yuna shot him another narrow glance.

"You want to beat Riku?"

"What?" Sora blubbered, gasping like a fish out of water. "N-no-no!" he squeaked. "I just, well- maybe just- a little…"

"Well then, we've got to get practicing!" Yuna sang. When she asked what time Sora wanted to work, he choked and said he could do it by himself. Yuna shook her head and said he needed physical encouragement or he would not do it at all. Sora had to admit she was right. He ran through his inner schedule with bitten lip. Kissing lessons from six to seven, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Meetings with Soddy from six to seven on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Drag rehearsal from seven to nine every Monday through Friday.

"It would have to be nine to ten," he winced. Yuna tapped her chin then nodded. "After drag rehearsal? Monday through Friday?"

"All that?" snapped Sora. Yuna nodded. "We've got two weeks, Sora. You can't grow a flower by thinking about it. Especially a sexy, raven black flower with lots of thorns."

"Oh my," Sora croaked, his hands hovering over his nipples and groin instinctively. Realizing he was shielding himself again, he forced his hands behind his back and nodded in commitment. Yuna cheered and pulled him into a hug. With the heels, he was taller than her. In satisfaction he threw his arms around her shoulders and nuzzled into her neck. He felt her giggle beneath him. Her skin felt hot. Sora lingered. Yuna pinched his sides and cooed that Quistis would be back from dinner soon. Sora nodded and scrambled out of her shoes just as a peal of female voices wafted down the hall. Confident. Cooing. Upperclassmen. Sora chucked the heels across the room just as the three of them barreled inside. When they saw him sitting on the floor in bare feet with the empty shoe box before him, they gasped. The leader, a blonde girl with two long side bangs flew her hand to her mouth. Her eyes grew big as saucers.

"Are those Quistis' shoes?" asked a girl with shoulder length, caramel highlighted black hair behind her. A girl with pink hair in a side ponytail fidgeted at her side. Sora opened and closed his mouth in terror, trying in vain to keep his teeth from chattering.

"I let him try them on," Yuna interjected. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't touch your stuff again. It's just that Sora-"

"Sora was trying on my shoes?" squeaked the blonde girl, shifting her aquamarine eyes over Sora's barefooted form. When they met each other's glance, her cheeks burst violet and she hid them behind her hands. Sora furrowed his brows in confusion. When Quistis managed to inquire why he tried them on, Yuna explained that he needed to work on being sexy for the drag show.

"Yuna!" cried Sora in embarrassment. At once, four girls were surrounding him as if he was a sacrificial lamb. A hazy, entranced look took over Quistis' eyes as she stared down his legs. It made Sora uncomfortable and aroused at the same time.

"Can we see you in the shoes again, Sora?" chirped the rosette. At first Sora muttered "no." When four shrill, overpowering voices and soft arms wrapped around him in pleading, he scowled and mumbled that maybe he could put them on just once. As he strapped them on, Quistis dashed to her closet and tore through her clothes. When she came out with a corset, black padded bra, and spandex briefs, Yuna snapped for her to calm down. The blonde blushed and scrambled through her closet again.

"I'm pretty sure I've got a black turtleneck crop top somewhere," murmured her rosette friend. As she pulled one from beneath her bed, the girl with black hair revealed a pair of black silk stockings. Before Sora knew it, he was down to his boxer briefs with a crop top being shoved over his head. When Yuna asked him to put on the spanx, Sora said he would have to tuck. Quistis whimpered in a way that made him blush. He coughed and turned away.

"Can you just hold it back?" asked Yuna. Sora blushed deeper and nodded. He had no idea why he was letting himself become a guinea pig. He suspected it had something to do with liking attention. When the spanx, stockings, and shoes went on and Sora had tucked as best as he could without tape, he turned, pursed his lips, and held out his hands before letting them fall to his bare sides. The quartet surrounding looked at him as if he was barely human.

"I look disgusting, don't I?" he blubbered. Four screaming "no's!" nearly barreled him over.

"Sora, you look amazing!" squealed the rosette.

"C-do, do you think I could, maybe get a picture?"

"Quistis! Control your fucking self!" shouted Yuna, throwing her arm over Sora's shoulder like a shield. Quistis blushed maroon and disappeared to her desk on the pretense of starting homework. In pity Sora called that she could get a picture during the drag show. Quistis raised her head and glanced him up and down with a trembling lip and tear-laden eyes. When Sora smiled at her, she turned away and mumbled something under her breath. Sora waddled back to the mirror and slipped the crop top over his head, pulling the spanx from over his boxer briefs as he maneuvered his dick back to normal. When the stockings and shoes came off, too, he put his own clothing back on and asked if he could borrow everything. The clothes were all folded with Quistis' shoes in their scuffed box. After handing it to Sora, Yuna said she would walk him out. Sora nodded and squeaked thanks. The upperclassmen cooed goodbyes. Then Sora and Yuna were in the corridor again, trudging in the direction of the great hall. As they walked, she scowled.

"I am so sorry about Quistis," she apologized. "She's crazy for you."

"She is?" Sora gasped, glancing over his shoulder in wonder. "Is she, uh… does she have a- a boyfriend?" he asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. Yuna cackled.

"Tread carefully, Sora," she warned. "She's a level ten and you're a level three."

"In attractiveness?" blubbered Sora.

"No, in crazy," Yuna responded.

"I'm crazier than a three!" Sora defended, "And she seems sweet…"

Yuna snorted. "Her weapon is a whip," she explained, "she wears strictly black lingerie, and I'm pretty sure she has a dildo for every month of the year."

"She has drums for every month of the year?" Sora gasped, wondering how she fit them all in the dorm room. Yuna stared him down with a confused, open mouthed expression. When Sora stared back in equal perplexity, she snorted.

"No offense, Sora," she said, "but I think we're coming from two different worlds right now. Figuratively."

"No, no," Sora insisted, "it's an instrument! Dildo or didol, Jasmine says she has one and plays it all the time."**

As Yuna erupted with laughter and Sora barked in protest, a tall figure swept past. When Sora turned and saw the long mane of red hair attached, he burst into a grin and shouted Axel's name. As the echo fell against his former probation officer's ear, the man froze. Then, to Sora's surprise, he sped up. Sora and Yuna exchanged glances. Then he whispered goodbye and hurried to Axel's side, watching the man's impossibly long strides as he swerved for the exit stairwell door. As the hall between the dorms disappeared and concrete steps spiraled above, Sora cleared his throat.

"Hey, Ax Max," he chirped as he sidled closer, "I have a question."

Axel barely granted him a glance. His grip tightened around the cup of what Sora suspected was coffee in his hand as his lips curled.

"I don't have time, Sora," he muttered. After, he added, "and I'd prefer if you called me Professor Flynn from now on."

Without helping it Sora let out a loud snort. When Axel stared him down in response, Sora shrunk and shut his mouth. The voiceless exchange carried on for a good three seconds. By the time it finished, Sora was clutching his failing heart and Axel had turned to go. When he managed to ask if Axel could talk for ten minutes, Axel muttered, "no," and kept walking. Sora's mouth fell open. After recovering he blustered as close to the man's side as he could.

"I, but, I, you're-" he stuttered. When he dove towards Axel's shoulder and leaned against him, Axel held up the palm of his hand and guided Sora's face away with it. When Sora slapped his arm down in indignation, Axel gritted his teeth and snapped that he had work to do.

"Work shmirk!" Sora cut in.

"Sora!" Axel barked, holding his forefinger up in warning, "I have just gotten through a very taxing faculty meeting, and if you ever want to see the interior of my office again, I suggest you give me a moment to recover," he hissed. Anxiety made Sora whine. He pleaded that he would only take five minutes. When Axel ignored him, he snapped that he would follow the man all the way to his office. Axel stopped to give Sora a sideways glance. His nostrils flickered in size. Then, without warning, he lunged around Sora's back and dived up the stairs away from him. Sora screeched and tailed him two steps at a time, tripping twice on his way up. By the time he reached the school's uppermost floor, Axel was dashing through his office door. Sora used the last of his momentum to throw himself at Axel's back, but the door slammed in his face and sent him tumbling to the ground before he could do so successfully. All that responded when he roared Axel's name was the click of a lock.

For a moment Sora paced the ground outside the office in utter shock. He tried calling Axel's name again. Then he said, "Mr. Flynn!" When silence responded, he kicked the door, swiveled around, and slid to its base. As he sat with his head and spine rested against the oak, he glanced up and bit his lip. Ten minutes passed. He called to see if Axel was ready. No response. In irritation Sora rapped his knuckles against the wood. He called Axel's name again. Nothing. This pattern went on for ten more minutes, Sora repeating Axel's name, rapping his knuckles, and banging his back occasionally. When a bruise formed on his lower spine and his voice grew hoarse, he called that it was a question about Reno. Silence. Then shuffling. More silence. Sora bit his lip, trying Riku's name. Then Soddy's. Then Xemnas'. Naminé's. Ari's. Still nothing. Rolling his eyes and cutting his losses, he blurted out the last name he could think of, hollering that Roxas had started acting funny again. As soon as the words left his mouth, the latch undid and he fell backwards against Axel's carpeted floor. When he stared into the redhead's narrowed emerald eyes he waved.

"Your question?" Axel intoned.

"Uh..." Sora uttered, racking his brains for ways to ask what he wanted without making Axel angry as he inched around the man's back. Axel's nostrils flared as he shut his eyes and sighed.

"A fellow student is acting funny?" he started for him.

"Oh," Sora laughed breathlessly in reply. "Well, that was really just a red herring so I could ask how to be sexy for-"

Sora yelped as Axel picked him up by the scruff of the neck and dragged him towards the door. When the pair got within a breath of it and Axel attempted chucking him through, Sora clamped his hands and feet around the frame and held on for dear life. As Axel, unable to quit his momentum, barreled into his chest, Sora clasped him around the waist and shouted that he was not leaving till he got answers. Together they charged like a bull into the hall. Axel attempted prying Sora off of him. When he could not, he swore and shut his office door behind. After lumbering together to the office's center, Sora dropped to the rug like a cannonball and sprawled there in satisfaction as Axel dusted himself off, stomped to his makeshift desk by the stenciled window, and collapsed into his chair in exhaustion. The attic room quieted save for Axel's muttering and Sora's labored breaths. Then the boy scrambled to sit before him and smoothed out his askew clothing with a sniffle. When he coughed, Axel glared at him through his palms.

"You really want me fired, don't you?" he snarled. Sora shook his head, snapping that that was the last thing he wanted. Then, lost for polite introductions, he asked what Axel found sexy in women. The redhead blinked at him in shock. His brows curled. His eyes narrowed. Then, deflating, he rubbed his face and sighed.

"Sora," he whispered. "This conversation is absolutely inappropriate."

"Was the conversation about Argento and Soddy and my "freudian slip" after my birthday party a couple weeks back not?" Sora fired back. Axel's hand flew over his chest and his mouth fell open as if he had been shot. When a strange squeak left the man's throat, Sora hurried that Coco was making him do a song with Joshua for the drag show. While Axel struggled to form words, Sora took his chance and dived in.

"I was originally going to do a voguing remix," he explained. "But then it was deleted from the data scape and I had to pick another song. Then Coco said that if I didn't do a duet of 'Side to Side' with Joshua, I couldn't perform."

When Axel fumbled to open his desk's center drawer and flipped through a collection of folders inside, Sora rose his voice and amended that Coco had given him three minutes to pick a different song. "But it would have been impossible and I was nervous, so I said I'd do 'Side to Side.' And Joshua is doing a sexy dance for it, because that's what it's about, a lot of sex, and I don't know what to do, and Yuna was telling me sexiness was noticing yourself, but I was thinking that wasn't necessarily connected to how women are sexy, and I can't ask Roxas and I can't ask Ari and I'm too shy to ask anyone else-"

"So you ask an untenured professor to figure it out for you," Axel finished for him, organizing his folder of choice before opening it and scribbling across the first sheet inside.

"Yeah, I thought I'd ask you because I'm comfortable with you and you seem to be okay talking about this kind of stuff," Sora continued, clenching his fists in irritation as he watched Axel's pen stream chicken scratch from one end of the page to the other. After silence reigned for a good minute, Sora demanded to know what Axel thought he should do.

"I think I've got a solution," Axel muttered as he finished page one and moved onto page two.

"Yeah?" Sora goaded. "And what would that be?"

Axel glanced up at him from beneath his brows. His face crinkled with a smile. Then he told Sora to say no.

"N-not, do, no?!" Sora stammered in outrage, leaning back to gather himself together. "Are, are you nuts? How can I not, I'm practically being forced into-"

"Sora," Axel interjected loudly, slamming his pen onto the desk before him though his face showed no visible sign of emotion. "For all your hums and haws about what people 'force' you to do, you always end up doing them."

Sora stared at Axel in befuddlement. Axel's ensuing glare made him go beetroot red. Sora blushed so much these days it was a wonder he did not internally combust.

"What the nut is that supposed to mean?" he managed to croak. Axel leaned his cheek against his palm and gave a wistful sigh.

"You don't have to do the drag show, Sora," he murmured. "You want to do it."

"Well, Sora scoffed. "Well, of course I want to do the drag show! They need me! We're doing it in a professional venue-"

"Who suggested the venue?" Axel asked.

"Well, I did, but-"

"Who picked a song that would never have worked for a lip sync in the first place?"

"Well, I did, but-"

"Who did not suggest another song when Joshua suggested Side to Side?"

"Well, I did, but-"

"What's in that shoe box of yours?"

"Well, they're spanx and heels from practicing with Quistis and Yuna but-"

"Who just had a galactically renowned singer and her beautiful friends dress him up in heels and spanx, and then asked the professor nearly twice his age, whom he has repeatedly caught in unprofessional situations, how to be sexy?"

Sora faltered and furrowed his brows, setting his hand to his heart in indignation. "You- you say all of this stuff as if," he stuttered, eyes going wide as saucers, "as if I enjoy it!"

Axel gasped and slapped his palm to his forehead.

"You know what, Sora?" he whispered. "I think you really might be onto something."

Sora gaped in disbelief and asked in a warble why Axel was being so mean. When tears invaded his vision again, Axel's flaming green irises sharpened to lasers. He chuckled under his breath and shook his head. As Sora sniffled, Axel raised his arms over his mane and stretched. His infamous midriff shone from beneath the hem of his black t-shirt. When he noticed Sora's eyes drift over it, he raked his shirt over the exposed skin and fixed Sora with a wary glance. Sora averted his gaze as he rubbed at his cheeks. When Axel asked if he was finished, Sora choked and sniffled harder.

"I... I'm really confused," he confessed. Axel narrowed his eyes further as his fist returned to rest under his cheek.

"There's nothing to be confused about, Sora," he explained. "You've come to me with a sensitive question, and as your professor, I've given you the best answer I could muster. It's not my fault you're going to ignore it."

"But I don't understand what's going on here!" Sora stuttered. "I talk with you between classes, I think we've formed a bond-"

"What bond?" Axel inquired expressionlessly. Sora opened and closed his mouth like a fish before blurting out, "advice!"

Axel snorted. "Honestly?" he scoffed, "since when have you ever taken my advice?"

"I, well, in the sum-"

"I've got a probation meeting in five minutes, Sora," Axel snapped, "so if you want to say anything worthwhile, I suggest you make it fast."

Sora gaped wider. When he stood and banged his fists on the desk, pleading with Axel through whimpers that he was his only hope, the man fixed him with a caustic glare and clamped his hand over his tightly pulled mouth. Sora noticed that his nails were absent of their customary black polish. The longer Axel stared at him with his bare hand clamped firmly over his lips, the more uneasy Sora became. When Sora blushed and averted his gaze, Axel shook his head.

"You are so good at getting what you want," the redhead muttered, returning to the page before him. "I can see why Riku began to resent you."

"What?" Sora breathed. Axel shrugged, eyes planted firmly on his scribbled forms.

"If you didn't hear that," he continued, "I suggest you get your ears checked. Infirmary is downstairs."

Sora remained with mouth agape as he stared down at his splayed hands. They rested open against his knees as if holding an offering. When his eyes met the veins pulsing inside, he gritted his teeth, clenched his nails into his palms, and jumped up, slamming his fists against the desk as he demanded to know what the hell Axel was talking about. The man before him froze his writing. But his glance did not raise. When he began scribbling again, Sora gritted his teeth and swept the papers aside, making Axel shout in indignation and jump up to meet him, flinging the pen from his grip until it spiraled and pinged against the floor at the desk's side.

"You little shit!" he thundered, boring into Sora's gaze as if to see if he was real. As Sora glared back at him he bared his teeth. Steam rolled off Axel's shoulders in billows.

"Why the hell would you bring something like that up?" Sora demanded. As Axel stared, he pointing to Sora's dry cheeks and snapped his fingers.

"How fast Sora Nomura reins back the waterworks, huh?" he sang. "You should be an actor instead of a hero."

"What's it to you?" Sora spat. "You never even wanted me here in the first place! If anyone is a great actor, it's you!"

"Oh, is that so?" Axel said with a sarcastic, bubbling voice. "Pray tell!"

"You act like some old wiseman, giving me advice and letting me eat your chicken wraps, and just when I trust you the most, you slap me in the face!" Sora warbled, railing his fists before him in gesticulation. "But I know how you feel now because Naminé told me!"

"Oh! Roping good ol' Naminé into this, huh?" Axel boomed. "Shall we invoketh the names of any other unfortunate souls you've had the chance to confide in?"

"What the heck did I do wrong?" Sora shrieked. "What have I done that you all of a sudden treat me like a rotten kuppo nut!"

"You want to know why you irritate the hell out of me, Sora?" Axel snapped, leaning towards Sora with a open mouthed glare. "When I look at you, I see a kid who sucks on other people to get what he wants, and it makes me sick!"

Sora reeled back in gobsmacked silence. He had been flung headfirst into a nonsensical dream. His vision rolled as if he stared out at the world from inside a washing machine.

"W-what?" he choked. Axel blinked out at him without speaking. His shoulders sagged. He bit his lip. Then, sighing and rubbing his forehead, he said that he had not meant to say that.

"I just mean that you need to realize that you're a manipulator," he explained. "I know because I come from a family full of them. You may fool people like... people. But you don't fool me."

"I wasn't aware that I was fooling anyone," Sora whispered. Axel groaned and hid his face in his hands. As he rubbed violently against his skin, he continued that Sora needed to start fending for himself.

"You can't demand other people's time and affectio-I mea-a-attention whenever you want it!" he insisted through a blustering stammer.

"I ask for help when I need it," Sora warbled. "But when it counts, I would do the exact same for someone else!"

"You want to know the bad thing about accepting help from everyone, Sora?" snapped Axel. "How are you going to make time for all of them when they want the help back?"

"I just will!" spat Sora in return. "That's why I wanted to be a hero in the first place! I wanted to help people!"

"How can you help anyone when you can't even help yourself?" hissed the redhead.

Sora choked. His face scrunched in fury as he stomped his feet against the floor and pointed to Axel's face.

"Fine!" he shrieked. "I don't need your help! I'll figure everything out on my own! So you can sit in your lonely office and grumble and help no one!"

"Oh, I love my lonely office, buddy!" laughed Axel, shimmying down in his seat and setting his boots hard on the desktop. Sora tore around and lunged for the office door. When his hand fell around the knob, he bit his lip and swerved around, pointing his forefinger at Axel's nose as if it were a dart.

"I get what I want because I work twice as hard for it as everyone else!" he hissed with chest puffed out and head held high. "You just wait for the drag show! I'll be so fucking sexy you won't know it's me up there! By the time I exit the stage, the whole school will be begging me to fuck them!" he added in the most adult voice he could muster.

He slammed out of the door just as Axel thundered, "insubordi-fucking-nation!" He half expected the redhead to follow him out and drag him into detention, but the door never reopened. Just as Sora started wondering if Axel really did have a probation meeting in five minutes, a head of tousled, silvery white hair bobbed up the staircase from the dorm hall towards him. With sudden gusto Sora barreled towards it and knocked past its owner's blue clothed shoulder, eliciting a cry of surprise from the boy on his way down.

He would probably receive detention before the week was out. It did not matter. He steamrolled down the staircase with Quistis' shoebox clung tightly under his arm. When the familiar hall to the boy's dorms emptied in front of him, he thundered forward like a charging bull, ignoring all who flanked his path. When he reached his dorm door and jammed his key into the lock, he scowled and fidgeted until it clicked and the knob turned down. Blustering inside and letting the door slam behind him, he chucked Quistis' shoe box beneath his bed and dived back first against the covers in fury. When bare skin pressed beneath him instead of soft cotton and a loud bark sounded in his ear, he yelped and rocketed into the underside of the bunk above. As he nursed the ensuing bruise forming on his scalp, a set of warm, honey colored hands circled the back of his neck and padded around the crown of his head.

"Are you okay?" the intruder gasped in a concerned purr. Roxas. As Sora glanced towards the clock and saw what time it was, he gaped and groaned. As he hid his head in his hands, Roxas rubbed his shoulder and chanced a peck to his neck. His lips stayed against Sora's skin after he finished. Warm gusts from his breathless chuckle prickled up the hair on Sora's back. When he shrugged off the goosebumps, Roxas' lips parted and the blond leaned away with furrowed brows. When Sora would not look at him, he glanced down and picked at his arm. For several moments, all that resonated through Sora's consciousness was the beat of his heart and the clicking of the clock overhead.

"You're really late," Roxas cut through the silence. "I thought you might not come at all."

Sora willed himself not to whine. Instead he sucked in a deep breath and murmured that he was sorry. "I forgot what day it was."

"Were, were you meeting with Ansem?" Roxas asked. When Sora remained quiet, Roxas dropped it and shrugged, adding in a low chirp that it was alright. "We can just do it now," he suggested. Sora peeked towards him in discomfort, the stone growing in his throat dropping into the pit of his stomach when he met the boy's deep blue eyes. Roxas' lips quivered and grinned in a rhythm. When he leaned in, the collar of his shirt drifted askew, revealing a hint of blushing collarbone. His hands balled into fists and relaxed to the same beat as his lips and smile. His legs thrummed as though incapable of keeping still. It made Sora want to scream. It made him not know what he wanted.

"I have Drag rehearsal," Sora muttered as he turned away. He felt the warmth of Roxas' body as the boy padded towards his back.

"We have fifteen minutes," Roxas tried. Sora shook his head and muttered that he needed to get ready.

"I can help you, if you want, so we could-"

"I don't want to kiss you today!" Sora shrieked without thinking. As soon as the utterance parted his lips, he clamped his hand over his mouth and glanced towards Roxas in shock. The boy stared towards him with a wide, expressionless gaze. For a moment something bright and piercing flickered through his eyes. Then, it disappeared, replaced by a dull, cool stare.

"Why not?" Roxas inquired. "Do you want to stop the lessons?"

"No!" Sora gasped in a strangled voice, "no, never!"

Roxas watched as Sora clamped his hand over his mouth again. The blond's brows furrowed. Though his mouth remained shut, his nostrils flared in and out. His gaze narrowed.

"May I ask what made you forget?" he asked. "Did Ansem bother you?"

"What?" Sora snapped in irritation. Roxas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he corrected, "Soddy." When Sora processed it, he muttered that he had not seen Soddy since yesterday.

"Not Vanitas?" Roxas asked. "Ari?"

"No, Roxas, no," Sora insisted, slipping off the bed and gathering Quistis' shoe box and his books together. "I was just asking Yuna how to... for help on my dance."

"Oh," Roxas murmured, adding after a spell of thought, "did... did she make you sad?"

"I'm fine, Roxas!" Sora insisted with his back turned, wrenching his books and the shoe box under his arms as he stood.

"Did you pass Axel on the way?" Roxas tried as Sora reached for the door. It made him freeze in his tracks. When Sora glanced behind him, his shoulders sagged. Roxas perched on his bed like a cat, back straight and hands clasped perfectly above his cinched knees. The shadows from the setting sun outside splashed one side of his face brilliant red. But the bruising shadows beneath his eyes, nose, and chin made him seem gaunt.

"How?" Sora started, finishing, "did, was Axel telling you about me?"

Roxas shook his head but said nothing.

"Because a while back I told him he should make friends with you," Sora goaded. "I thought you two would get along because I felt like he got along with me." As he finished, the lump caught in his throat and drowned out his voice. Images of Axel snickering to Reno during his final last year played through his mind against his will. The way the brothers grinned at each other the day Sota and Nao were expelled. The way Axel almost double-crossed him during the summer. The way he had begged Sora to quit school. Suddenly, Sora wondered why he had ever trusted the man at all. As he stood with head bent and eyes cast down, Roxas shrugged and murmured that he was just naming off names. Sora nodded in dejection and turned for the door again. Then, wincing at how painful LGBTQ would be without the man's advice, he turned and called Roxas' name. When the boy glanced up, Sora asked if he could ask a question. Roxas nodded. Sora turned and sucked in a deep breath.

"What songs make you feel sexy?" he asked.

Roxas blinked at him. Then he furrowed his brows.

"Uh, what?"

"It's cool," Sora snapped like a whip, turning and fumbling with the door for the third time. "I'll figure it out myself." As he reached for the duct tape at the door's side, Roxas snapped for him to wait. When Sora turned towards him, the boy slunk from the bottom bunk and rummaged around his backpack. When he took out his mp3 player and beckoned Sora over, Sora crept to his side and accepted an earplug from Roxas' hand. Roxas took the other. Sora could hear the click of the wheel as he scrolled through choices. Roxas told him to close his eyes. Sora nodded and did so. For a few moments there was silence. Then, a strong, female voice broke through with a searing high note.

 _"_ _I keep on fallin', in…"_ the woman's voice descended into a long run, and then more silence.

 _"_ _And… out of love… with you…"_ On the word out, piano entered. _"Sometimes I love you, sometimes you make me blue."_ A chorus joined in on the word 'love.' Then a synthetic beat.

 _"_ _Sometimes I feel good… At times I feel used."_

Sora pierced Roxas with a strange glance, one that he himself failed to understand. His friend stared into the distance with an equally inscrutable gaze. When Sora glanced to what it hovered over, he noticed only the pile of dirty clothes laying on the bunk beneath Ari's bed, dyed orange and midnight blue, the same as Roxas' face. The boy's deep eyes closed as the music changed. He sighed and furrowed his brows. His golden hand rose to the back of his neck and pulled down against the skin. For a moment Sora imagined the hand was his own. His guts fluttered. The palm fell into Roxas' lap and stayed there, limp. His back curled in. His head swayed in time with the melody. Under the oppressive setting sun, his cool, collected bravado was stolen from him. Time had changed. His aloofness diluted to childish separation. Sora was gone. But Roxas' breath hitched when their skin touched. Sora's hand twitched. Something in him twisted.

He wanted to cry. But not for the usual reasons. Not from frustration or anger, not from meanness, and not from not getting what he wanted. He was having trouble understanding it. Suddenly, he was struck by the image of a tiny boat on the Besaid Sea, pulling further and further from the shore until it was a fluttering white speckle on the horizon. Then, gone. The sun crept lower as he and Roxas sat shoulder to shoulder. Roxas' golden head leaned against Sora's side. Sora wanted to rest his cheek against it. To press into it. But something inside him kept him from acting. The little white sail was absent from the horizon of his thoughts.

"This is beautiful," he searched, wincing when Roxas jolted back to the land of the living. The blonde chuckled and turned away. Sora saw his hands rise up to his face. Rub it. Sora bit his lip and glanced at his palms. When Roxas turned back, the sides of his eyes were red.

"Yeah… kind of sad, though," he muttered. "Not very sexy, I guess. Kind of wasted your time." With a sudden jerk, he turned the music off and jumped up, stretching and throwing the mp3 player on top of his backpack. Sora stood dumb as Roxas climbed up to his bed and shifted a book from beneath his pillow. The younger boy stared when Roxas began to read with feverish strokes.

"I… I thought it was nice," Sora whispered. Above, Roxas gave a harsh snort.

"Whatever," he sighed. "Should have showed you something like "Side to Side." Sex is supposed to be fun, and feel good, right? Not… I guess I'm just…"

A weird gulp trailed off Roxas' sentence. Sora furrowed his brows as the blond sat up and turned away. His golden head brushed the ceiling. A caustic silence emanated through the room until Roxas took in a ragged breath.

"Sora?" he murmured in a calm, measured voice. "Do you think you could leave for an hour? I feel sick."

"Oh," Sora blinked, stuttering yes. When he asked if he could borrow Roxas' mp3 player, the blonde gave a weird warble of affirmation. Sora set the device neatly between the folds of Yuna's roommate's crop top and closed the lid over Quistis' shoebox. As he slipped through the door, Roxas asked for him to keep Ari away as well. Sora nodded. As he met with the cool air of the hall, the exit stairwell slammed open and voices rose up. When Sora glanced towards them, he straightened. Ari was walking up the hall with Nimo and Noel, deep in conversation. As they passed Sora by, Sora grabbed Ari's arm and told him not to go into the dorm. When Ari laughed and pushed past, Sora pressed himself over the lock and said that Roxas was sick.

"What?" Ari asked.

"He's throwing up everywhere," Sora lied. "I think I got some on me."

"Little vomit never hurt anyone," Ari drawled. When he attempted going in again, Sora grabbed his hand and looked him in the eye.

"Please," he breathed. "He told me to give him some time alone."

Ari stared at Sora with a shrewd glance. Then he shrugged and said he would do homework later. As he turned back down the hall, he called over his shoulder that he would not be back till late.

"And I want another hour to myself on Saturday!" he added. "Yuna's been naggin' me for a sesh." Nimo and Noel chuckled at his side. Then the trio disappeared. Sora stared after their absent frames in silence. For a moment he hung against the door as if stuck to it. Then he trudged to the exit stairwell and pressed through. Eventually he returned to the ground floor and wandered towards the black box. A sign posted on its left entrance door announced that rehearsal was canceled for the day. Sora sighed in relief and pushed forward anyway. When he peeked in, an empty room greeted him. Coco's mirror sat forlorn on its backside. When Sora heaved it up and looked inside it he winced. The same dumpy boy that had stared at him in Yuna's room stared now. Vicious black box shadows made him look drawn and sad. With a long inhale he opened Quistis' shoebox, stepped out of his shorts, and slipped his shirt over his head. When he had tucked and pulled on her spanx and crop top he shimmied into the silk stockings and strapped on the shoes.

For a moment he breathed in how absent the room was. With so many chairs still in the bleachers, and with the memory of an audience cheer ringing in his mind, he imagined that he was surrounded by invisible beings, there and at once, not. He normally preferred company. But now he closed his eyes in relief. When he looked back in the mirror, he squared his shoulders and gave the new, taller boy a fierce glare.

"You need to grow up," he quavered. "How can people count on you when you can't count on yourself?"

With a nod he waddled to the back side of the black box and turned. Then, setting his hands on his spanx clad hips; he sauntered towards the other side of the room as best as he could in six-inch needles. He sat in the feeling of each step, breathing past the uncomfortable laughter bubbling in his throat. After an hour, his calves burned, his glutes ached, and his toes prickled with numbness. But when he saw his walk in the mirror, his heart fluttered. With a sigh, he popped off the heels and rolled down the stockings to massage his feet. Once his legs were completely bare, he turned back to the mirror.

 _"_ _Move what feels good,"_ echoed Yuna's voice in his head. Sora bit his lip. He raised his hands over his head and swayed back and forth, shoulders hunched in anxiety and jaw clenched, waiting for some sort of pleasurable emotion to wash over him. When it did not, he scowled and beat his fists together, pacing back and forth and feeling like a fool. When he settled in the middle of the black box and contemplated leaving altogether, an idea pricked the back of his mind. When he stared towards the mirror, two brilliant blue eyes bored out of it and into his own. He gulped. Checked over his shoulder towards the double entrance doors. Silenced his gusting breath to listen for footsteps. The hall outside was quiet. Sora's shoulders sagged. He glanced back towards his image. Then he turned away.

First he ran his hands up and down the sides of his face, prickling his skin. When he set his palm on his left cheek, he turned over his right shoulder. His arms crept into a lax fifth position. His hands slithered from his cheeks, to his neck, over his chest, and down his sides. They pulled the crop top fabric tight over the skin of his nipples as he brought his palms towards the hem of his spanx briefs. When his fingers reached stretchy nylon, he pressed his palms into his hips and curved his buttocks in a circle, curling his spine up and away from the pressure of his touch. As he twirled, he lowered until he squatted on his ankles. He moved his body as if his bottom half wanted to part from his ribs, carrying his chest forward as the space between his thighs pressed towards the other side of the room. As he curved the center of his spine as close to the ground as he could, he let his shoulders and sacrum float up. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he glanced over his shoulder to look at himself.

A terrified glance shot back at him. His heart fell. He turned his head away. Then another idea popped into his head. He whined and hid from it, concealing his face against his collar. Then he closed his eyes. He reached up his hand and pulled it down his scalp, imagining soft golden hair beneath its grip. Then he traced the features of his face. Dusty freckles. Curved blond lashes. A crease of skin between his brows. Feint, baby lines surrounding his smile. Coral cheeks. Eyes as deep as an ocean at storm beneath soft, purplish lids. Warm, gusting breath. Measured. Chuckling. A blushing neck. A collar and chest burst with heat. As every feature manifested beneath the drift of Sora's touch, his heartbeat slowed and his body relaxed. When he opened his eyes, the blackbox loomed around him like a realm of impenetrable darkness. For a moment he rose his hand to meet it, reaching and turning on the axis of his spine until his body faced Coco's long mirror again. Without thinking, he glanced towards the reflection within. Jolted. Calmed. Settled into his haunches. Then, he crawled towards himself.

The boy in the glass furrowed his brows. His lips turned blood red. His cheeks flushed rose against his tan skin. His eyes glazed over. Sora's heart hammered in his chest. With one hand he pulled his hair back. The boy in the mirror did the same, until his high arching brows quivers together and his short forehead exposed. As his hand brushed against his ear, a sigh escaped Sora's throat. The farther he crawled, the more his spine swayed from side to side. His hips curved towards either shoulder as he moved his thighs forward. The boy in the mirror copied everything, a sly grin prickling his blushing face. When Sora reached the mirror, he stuck out his tongue and licked the brunette, carrying the tip up the glass and watching as the pane fogged with his breath. He reached his hands around the sides and clutched when he reached the top. After hoisting himself to his feet, he felt around his torso again, imagining that they were his own hands touching someone else. Someone with soft, tan skin and a coral blush. Feint, baby lines surrounding a porcelain smile. When his fingers crept along the dimples in his lower back, a groan escaped him. His inner thighs began to heat up. When he ghosted his fingers towards the heat, he furrowed his brows. Pain was searing from the root of his penis, radiating to the tip. When Sora realized why, he sank to the ground and cupped his hands over his tuck.

"Motherf-!" he yelped, rolling onto his stomach and settling into his knees so that his backside could feel fresh air. For a while a mixture of arousal and sting shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. When the feeling passed, he groaned and lowered himself back to earth. When he turned onto his back, he spread out his arms and legs. His lips pursed as he wondered why he was getting it all wrong. He had done exactly as Yuna told him to do. Well, albeit with a little more imagination. Shutting his eyes, he thought back to LGBTQ and the conversations Roxas had with him about female anatomy. Then he remembered women did not have to tuck dicks.

"Dag nab-it!" Sora snapped, banging his head against the wooden floor beneath him. He needed a new angle. A new twist. A new face. With a start, he scuttled back to Roxas' mp3 and returned to the song they had listened to. He played it again, humming along. His lips moved to the lyrics. He touched his neck and pulled down, letting his hand fall limp into his lap as he closed his eyes and bobbed his head. As the music moved him, he swayed and knelt. Soon he was on his feet again, raising his arms, widening his mouth to reach imaginary high notes, and swaying back and forth. The longer he stayed in the black box and the more songs he scrolled through, the more comfortable he became. Outside the darkness of the blackbox, the sun left the sky and encased the world in a dusky, starry blue. Giggles and occasional chatter rose up between kids sneaking out to town, moving to the library to study, or roaming to the forecourt and valleys below. Otherwise, silence turned the world to sleep.

~X~

* * *

 **A/N:**

 ****HOLY CRAP I FORGOT TO INSERT THIS POST SCRIPT WHEN I FIRST UPLOADED: Sora is getting dildo confused with Dohol, an Iranian ceremonial double ended drum Jasmine must have talked about at one time! If Jasmine does have a dildo in addition to a Dohol, neither me or Sora know about it. (** **ahaha) As for the rest of the chapter...**

 **I hope you all liked it! This is the longest chapter so far, I think (just wait until the drag show... you'll be reading that chapter forever.) Why oh why could Axel have transformed into such a prick so suddenly (or maybe you think his actions are justifiable?) I want to hear your opinions in the comment section! What do you think of Yuna and her gang? How are poor Roxas and Sora doing? Do you want to slap Sora yet? (If not, I have a feeling you will in a couple chapters... but yet...)**

 **HAHA! I'm excited to hear your thoughts! Next chapter will come as soon as it is able!**


	20. Rumors

**A/N: Thank you so much R12, as usual, for your amazing reviews! You keep me on my toes, lol! The Jasmine joke was actually a reference to an Iranian drum called a Dohol, but of course Sora got it completely wrong (wouldn't be the first time lol). I forgot to put the post script the first time I uploaded. Anyhoo, things are all falling into place this chapter. Hope you enjoy it! FOLLOW, FAV, and REVIEW!**

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 _ **Chapter Twenty**_

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Clocks did funny things when Sora worked hard. Somehow, it had turned seven days before the drag show, even though it felt like one long evening since he had argued with Axel and made Roxas sick. Or not. Every time Sora thought about the puffiness of Roxas' eyes and the strange calm way he had told him to leave the dorm that night, he kicked himself for obeying. The old Sora would have thrown his arms around Roxas and done anything he could to make the boy feel better, sick or not. Instead he had wandered to the black box on his own. He still could not understand why he fled. It was as if something inside him was terrified that if he did not, something worse would have happened. Something impossible to turn back from.

He still had 'sexy' sessions with Yuna. He practiced with Quistis' lucky shoes and Roxas' mp3 player. But he never asked or glanced for Axel again. Every time he saw the man in the hall, he ducked his head down. He had not had a single kissing lesson with Roxas, either. He barely even saw the boy these days except during combat and element classes. Otherwise he was studying or "working," as he mumbled in their minimal interactions with each other. Whether Roxas had a secret job in the valley or was playing an avoidance game, Sora could not tell, but if the blond was not sick when he had told Sora to leave the door, he was now. He had bags under his eyes, his skin seemed sallow, and he tossed and turned in his sleep. Sora knew, because he often could not sleep himself, these days. Something strange was digging at him. Something that told him Roxas' anxiety and evasiveness was his fault.

Now he sat in the electrical room feeding Hacky synthesis materials. The Moogle was moving slower than usual. Instead of scampering she sort of lolloped. If she wanted to get to high places, she would flap her wings in one lazy swoop and bounce from corner to corner until she reached her destination. The one improvement was her synthesis skills. She could make treasures out of the strangest materials. Sora was pretty certain she had used an old apple core he had dropped as he ate lunch with her on one occasion. Today, he brought her some very rare materials he had won in one of Luxord's challenges, along with gems he found when he jogged with Hercules the weekend before. Her pom-pom sensed them before he pulled them from his pocket. The bauble gave a ferocious jitter when the jewels and goo twinkled in Sora's palm.

"Now, I don't know when your birthday is, ol' gal," he said. "But happy birthday to you."

He slipped the crumpled box from behind his back. Hacky peered around his shoulder in earnest. Sora grinned. When he unsheathed what lay beneath the paper, the Moogle let out the oddest squeal Sora had ever heard. Before he could upend the pile of fresh kupo nuts, Hacky pounced and devoured them. Sora yelped as the Moogle thrashed around his lap. When the kupo nuts were gone, Hacky burped. Then she began to cry. Before long, Sora found himself whimpering along. When the pair regained composure, Hacky leaned forward and gave Sora a sort of bow. Sora stood and bowed back. Then Hacky leaned forward and raised her pom-pom. Sora's eyes widened. His brows furrowed in confusion.

"D-do you want me to pet you?" Sora asked. Hacky pointed one donut hole arm to her pom-pom and nodded her bulbous head. Sora beamed in disbelief. Then he knelt down and stroked the pink sphere. It thrummed under his hand as if humming. Hacky rested her head against Sora's belly. Then she mumbled something that made Sora gasp.

"Hacky, did you just-?" he gasped.

"Loob, Sora, kupo!" Hacky repeated with effort. When she finished, Sora screeched and threw his arms around her.

"You said my name!" he squealed. "Did you mean 'love'?" he added. Hacky nodded with vigor. Sora stifled a sob and hugged her again. When he pulled away, he gave her a sharp look.

"Hacky," he said. "In all our time together, I've never asked for your real name. What is it?" he asked, indicating as he spoke. She responded in what Sora presumed was Moogle, but it seemed difficult for her, as if she could not remember the sound of the words. Sora wondered how long she had been stuck in the electrical room. He had no idea where she came from, when she was born, or how she got here.

"Hacky, have you ever seen the outside world?" he asked. A starry look came into the Moogle's beady eyes, as if remembering a past far away or a future she never had. Either ended in a wistful, breathy, "kupo." Sora gave her another firm glance. Then he held out his hand. In hesitance, she took it in her own donut hole arm. Sora shook.

"This is a promise, Bog," he said, stumbling over her birth name as best as he could. If he got the pronunciation wrong, Hacky refrained from correcting him. "If you want to see the outside world, I'll take you there as soon as I can."

Hacky's pom-pom jittered so ferociously it let out a long, low-pitched note. She tackled Sora again. Then, she swiped his synthesis materials, scrambled into her usual crawl space, and disappeared. Sora peeked after her in confusion.

"Um… okay," he called into the abyss. "I'm gonna go to class, now, but… I'll take you out after school, okay?" he asked. There was no reply. With furrowed brows he said he would be back that evening. Then he hitched his books under his arm, slipped through the electrical room door, and sauntered for the elevators. Oddly, no juniors were around. Sora checked his watch. Eight fifty. Usually there were at least a few stragglers by this time. When the doors beeped open, he got in and leaned against the wall. Then he pressed the down button to the third basement. When he got out, he froze. Standing at the end of the corridor, chest to Luxord's studio, was Eraqus. The headmaster of the academy. When he turned and met eyes with Sora, he nodded and sauntered forward, asking why he was not in the valley beneath the bridge. Sora gaped in befuddlement.

"Why… would I be in the valley?" he asked with narrowed eyes. When Eraqus reached his side, he indicated for Sora to follow him. Sora did so. They returned to the elevators. Once they were inside and going up, Eraqus announced that today marked the freshman combat midterms. Sora's mouth formed an 'oh.' Then he groaned. Luxord had told them there was no class this morning. Now Sora remembered why.

"First year combat midterms are not mandatory for upperclassmen," announced Eraqus. "But all the same, disinterest in the affairs of fellow students is… troubling…"

"I've had a lot on my plate," Sora mumbled with a swallow.

"I understand that," responded Eraqus. "And I was wondering if you would be willing to accompany myself and Riku on an excursion into the swamps tomorrow."

"The… what?" blurted Sora.

"The swamps," responded Eraqus. By now they were treading into the forecourt. "I understand this summer you cleaned out the water surrounding the south peak. I believe there was a monstrous fish you were incited to kill, but could not locate."

Sora thought back to his summer jobs with the Organization. He could not remember hunting giant fish. But he took Eraqus' word for it. When Sora peered down the mountain path, he spotted the bleachers filled with students in the valley below. As their screeches and laughter wafted towards him, he gulped. Seven familiar, curtained boxes lay strewn about the field between. He wondered how Tidus felt right now. If Sora knew him at all, he was terrified.

"You can bring your Moogle friend, if you so desire," added Eraqus. The color left Sora's face. How many people knew about Hacky? He half considered charging back to warn her to stay safe right then and there. But instead he continued down the path at Eraqus' side, until they reached the valley and the freshman teams stood huddled in their respective end zones at the field's center. From there, Eraqus disappeared for the teacher's stand and left Sora to stare over the faces on the field below by himself. Reno was reading out instructions from the grass, a megaphone perched in his right hand while he balanced the rulebook in his left. Once he finished he turned and told the upperclassmen to make as much ruckus as they wanted, but that if they entered the field, they would be expelled. A voice like Vanitas' gave a loud boo. Sora gritted his teeth and spied around for Roxas. He could not find him. Perhaps he was in the infirmary. Or "working." Axel was absent, as well. Xemnas, too. Now that Sora glanced around, it seemed as if no junior level professors were present. Ari was sitting with Nimo and Noel. When Sora scanned the second row, he noticed Kairi talking with Soddy. She leaned away from him, narrowed her eyes, and pursed her lips as he spoke. The conversation seemed polite. When Sephiroth hovered over Soddy's shoulder and whispered in his ear, Soddy shot him a cool glance and nodded. Kairi watched Sephiroth as they departed. The man seemed to say a few words to her. She nodded and murmured something back. Then she turned and redirected her eyes to the field. Sora waited till Soddy and Sephiroth left before moving towards her. Before he could reach her, though, a hand fell on his shoulder. When he turned, his mouth went dry.

Vanitas stood before him with a smirk. His teeth flashed crystal white. When Sora attempted moving away, Vanitas shoved him back before him. Sora blinked in shock and told him to get lost.

"Aw, I'm not trying to bother you, Sora," Vanitas purred through a shrug. "I just wondered how your kissing lessons were going." In response, Sora scoffed. Then his face drained white. As he attempted language, Vanitas pressed his forefinger over his lips and winked. Sora slapped his hand away.

"Who lied to you?" he warbled. Vanitas feigned surprise before snickering. He pointed to the field. Sora glanced out. His eyes met Tidus' shivering back. He ground his teeth. Then a flash crossed his mind. He furrowed his brows. Shot Vanitas a determined gaze.

"Tidus picked up the wrong information," he insisted. Then he shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time." Vanitas threw back his head and cackled. When he pinched Sora's cheek, the boy lurched back against the knees of the person behind him. Vanitas stepped so that his shoulder touched the center of Sora's chest. He could feel Vanitas' nipple tread over his own through the fabric of his shirt as he leaned into Sora's ear.

"If Tidus is spreading gossip that's not true, then maybe he should go home," the upperclassman whispered. Sora glanced down the field. The teams were hunched over the edges of their end zones, peering towards the curtained boxes. Tidus looked terrified. Sora gulped. When the curtains rose from the cages, the crowd on the bleachers roared and jumped in approval. Within were three people Sora had met in his vision quest the year before. Jasmine, Snow White, and a girl named Ariel with long red hair and blue eyes. In a cage on the far right stood Naminé. Sora thought he heard Ari bellow. When he glanced to the back of the field, he noticed what was left of the Organization, including Soddy, standing with their hands clasped behind their backs. They looked forbidding in uniforms of black. What Axel had said before drifted around his skull. He bit his lip.

"I lied to him," Sora murmured. When Vanitas snorted in derision, Sora pointed him with a desperate glance and continued, "I thought it would be a funny joke. Tidus thought I was being serious."

"Why would you tell a joke like that unless you wanted it to be true?" Vanitas whispered, glancing down at Tidus from over Sora's shoulder. Sora stared at his feet and bit his lip. Hard.

"I'm not saying you're a faggot, Sora," Vanitas cooed. Even though it should not have, the word sliced through Sora and made his chest flare up. Vanitas' breath ghosted in warm gusts against the hairs of his neck, making him shiver. Why wasn't someone telling them to shut up and sit down, or to focus on the field like everyone else? His eyes latched on Kairi four bleachers below, sitting in contentment and clapping as she called out Tidus' name. Sora wished he could call out hers. But misplaced pride kept him from opening his mouth.

"Roxas is a smooth operator," Vanitas continued. "He hypnotizes people. You don't have to hide the truth. What you do around him isn't your responsibility."

But it was Sora's responsibility. He knew it. He knew he loved kissing Roxas. He knew he loved looking at Axel, and Soddy, and Ari. He loved the feeling of Roxas' breath on his chest. He loved the feeling of his lips on the curve of his nipple. He loved Quistis' whimper, Axel's midriff, Yuna's giggle, Soddy's tight workout shorts, Naminé's smile, Vanitas' eyes, and Belle's wink. That was it. What had confused him, scared him, shamed him before and ever since he had set foot in the academy. That was what had ran him from Roxas' arms to the blackbox the day the blond had been sick.

Sora loved women. But he loved men, too.

The admission came crashing over him like thundering surf, so heavy he clutched Vanitas' shoulder for support. Something acidic tore inside him. He slipped his hand over his stomach. Gulped. Glanced around for help. He was alone in a chattering, thrumming crowd of strangers. Though he hated to, he kept his hand rooted on Vanitas' shoulder. The boy stared into his eyes as if he were a moving picture, delight splashing across his dark bronze face when he saw Sora's furrowed brows.

"But then again," he snickered, "if by any chance you kissed Roxas because you liked it… I guess it wouldn't be fair blaming everything on him?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Sora croaked. "Rumors are rumors."

"Rumors get people expelled, Sora. Fired, too," Vanitas hissed. "No matter what blades they wield."

Sora's breath caught in his throat. Was he talking about Roxas? When Sora attempted speech, he lost the words. This was his entire fault. Roxas told him not to tell anyone, but he told Tidus anyway. He wanted to save Roxas. He wanted to tell Vanitas the truth. But if he wanted it so badly, why was it so hard?

"Well," he blubbered with an odd croak of a chuckle, "m-maybe we should just s-see how things pan out. R-rumors a-are, they're just- they're nobody's fault. T-things just get, they get lost in. Translation," he gulped. Vanitas stared him down with a knowing gaze. His eyes narrowed. His brows furrowed down the bridge of his nose. His cheeks pulled up into a wide, snickering grin. He bared his teeth. Leaned impossibly closer.

"That's not what Roxas told me," he whispered. When Sora stared at him, the ravenette winked. Sora glared at his golden pool eyes in rage. When the boy attempted touching him again, he grabbed his wrist and tore it down. Vanitas let out a loud, "ooh!" and clapped his hands.

"My favorite thing in the world," he sighed with his hand to his heart, "is watching wittle Sowa Nomuwa steep in his own bullshit. For all your fucking on about being a hero, you don't care jack shit about your friends. Well, you better start figuring yourself out," he cackled. Then his glance bared into a sneer. "Because I'm going to make you squirm."

Suddenly Sora pulled back his hands and shoved Vanitas so hard he nearly tumbled over. When the bronze boy righted himself, Sora stepped so close their noses brushed.

"Stay the fuck away from my friends," he spat, trying with futility to still his trembling hands. Vanitas' eyes grew wide with excitement as a peal of bubbling laughter rose from his throat.

"Damn, Sora!" he hissed. "You're a little firecracker, now! Must be Roxas rubbing off on you," he added, sticking his tongue from his wide-open mouth and winking. Sora blushed and turned green at the same time. He gulped.

"What the fuck do you want from me?" he warbled. Vanitas fixed him with a piercing, satisfied glance. Then he murmured that he did not want anything.

"Don't worry, Sora," he added. "I've got nothing on you. Just the people you know. Maybe I'll tell you later." He chanced a bite to the back of Sora's neck. Sora lurched away in revulsion. Vanitas stayed at his side and roared for the show to start.

The horn to signal the beginning of the exam sounded. Sora stood at the center of the crowd of bleating upperclassmen with his face fixed towards the mountain path leading to the school. His hands fell limp at his sides. His throat constricted. When he looked onto the field, seven teams of freshmen sailed across freshly cut grass. Tidus charged behind a boy with white curly hair and a black jacket. The crowd gasped when the boy summoned a key blade and pointed it towards the lock on Jasmine's cage. After it clicked and he reached to open it, he cried out. The cage had burned his hand. The crowd gasped again as the confinement lifted itself from the ground and began crawling along on steel, spider-like legs. As the curly headed boy cast cure, another with white hair and black brows pressed him out of the way and encased the cage in a flurry of ice that clung to every metal bar. When the boy slammed his wooden staff against the bars, they smashed. Tidus pulled Jasmine out as the rest of the team held back the platform above her head. The students in the bleachers cheered. Sora tried to clap. But his guilt rose with each breath Vanitas took. They were forced side by side by flailing arms crunching on every side of them. Every time Vanitas' shoulder brushed against his own, Sora winced. In the field below, a second key blade wielder extricated Naminé as another elemental trapped her team's cage in stone. Pearl and Amethyst fused into one being with four arms that shot arrows into the locks of their teams' cage inhabitants. Another warped her confined classmate to safe ground. A hovering girl who shot black beams from her hands exploded her cage's lock. Zidane, whom Sora recognized from biology, picked his cage's lock to extricate Snow White. Just as every cage was breached, Reno called for instructor interference to begin.

The crowd surrounding Sora went wild as Organization Thirteen and Soddy barreled onto the field. From there, it was carnage. The moment Jasmine and Snow White reached within twenty feet of one another, their hearts began glowing pink. When they clasped hands, a haze similar but weaker to the light that beamed around Kairi, Aurora, and Belle during their midterm cloaked them in protection. Zidane lolloped around on all fours, sniffing for an end zone as Snow White and Jasmine ran together. When he found it, he signaled for his team to surround them. Before anyone could reach the two princesses, Xemnas cracked the pink orb surrounding them from the sky and split himself in two. One clone grabbed Jasmine, the other, Snow White. Seconds later, they were flown to the bleachers, and the horn sounded for the first time.

"Teams one and four, lose!" sang Reno just as Pearl and Amethyst's princesses stumbled into an end zone accidentally. The horn boomed again.

"Teams five and six, win!" Reno continued, scribbling down the results with the rest of Shinra and Eraqus. Ariel, Naminé, and the third princess huddled together as their teammates fought around them.

"Ten minutes left, one team to an end zone!" Reno warned. The three teams cursed at each other but continued looking. When the next end zone was located, it became all out war. Students fought one another to get their princesses to safety. In the process, Ariel and the third princess were taken to the bleachers. When Saix attempted taking Naminé, she disappeared into a black hole. When she reappeared, she was in the last end zone. The students in the bleachers gasped and cheered. Saix shot Naminé a dark glance. She ignored it and clapped as well.

"Teams two and seven, lose, team three, wins!" Reno roared. "And that concludes midterms! Enjoy your lunch! Then, upperclassmen, report to evening sessions for your classes."

The upperclassmen booed. Eraqus chortled from the bottom of the bleachers. Once the field was empty, students began filing down. Vanitas used Sora's head as an armrest to launch himself into the row below. Sora resisted the urge to punch him. With all his might he heaved himself up and trudged to the bleacher bottom, looking in vain for Roxas. As he pressed towards the school, he cursed himself. The front doors swarmed. Crowds of juniors rushed down the exit stairwell at the back of the entrance hall for the elevators. Sora reached the sliding doors just in time to squeeze in. When he got to the end of the third basement hall, Roxas was already there. The boy leaned against the sterile white wall rubbing at his eyes, scrolling through some electronic as if his life depended on it. When Sora reached his side and asked how he was doing, the blond jumped, sniffed, and tore his wrist violently across his cheeks. When he turned, Sora blinked in shock. The boy's eyes, normally bright, clear blue, were puffy and tinged with red. The warm coral of his cheeks was gone, replaced by burst blood vessels and wet heat. His nose shone bright pink. His hands shook around an old, scuffed, black mp3 player. As Sora glanced it over, he laughed. Then his smile faded.

"You got a new one?" he tried. Roxas shrugged and muttered that he was borrowing it.

"I've been meaning to return your old one," Sora attempted, padding around his pockets to see if he had it on him. Roxas stopped him with a hovering hand and murmured that he could borrow it for as long as he wanted. As the hard skin of his palm brushed against Sora's arm, Sora caught sight of the freckles dotting his honey arms. They were paler than usual, the insides almost a warm blush. The sudden need to touch that skin was almost unbearable. Sora gulped it back and glanced from the arms to the sleeves Roxas' shoulders lay trapped beneath in longing. When Roxas caught his eye, the blond averted his gaze and sniffed.

"I've been really sick," he croaked. When he attempted a chuckle, he coughed. "Kind of exhausted. But, can't miss midterms, right?"

"I- I'll prop you up, Roxas!" Sora tried, forcing an empty smile. Roxas snorted and shook his head.

"Sure, Sora," he murmured. Sora's heart twisted and fell. Soon Tifa was at their side, panting and patting her flushed cheeks.

"Fuck, those midterms were tight!" she laughed. "I gotta say, though, we were way better!"

As she laughed, a chortle ascended behind her, different than Luxord's. When everyone turned, his or her brows furrowed. Xemnas stood in front of their usual studio's open door with arms folded behind his back.

"Luxord is regrettably ill, today," the towering man explained. "A rather nasty flu has been passing around the faculty. I understand your examination should have been on Tuesday. Luckily, you have had time to prepare."

"Luxord said he would test us tomorrow," Roxas intoned. Xemnas gave him a pointed snicker. Then he grabbed him under the chin and hauled him to his tiptoes. As the blond struggled under his grip, Sora yelped and lunged for Xemnas' arm. Before he could reach him, Xemnas let Roxas go and teleported to the center of the studio. Once there, he beckoned for the trio to follow him.

"As head junior professor, I have decided to test you in Luxord's place," he murmured.

"We've never fought you before!" Tifa gasped. Xemnas grinned and summoned two red sabers that fizzled and cracked in the space beneath his outstretched palms.

"Then I suggest you prepare for the worst," he cooed. With that, he cloaked himself in a swirling black ball and spiraled towards them. In Tifa's confusion she forgot to dodge. Before Xemnas could slip through the barrier towards her, Roxas swept in his path and met him with double blades. Tifa gasped and tried punching Xemnas in the face. But the man jumped away and summoned a massive, gridded wall that thundered towards them at lightning speed. Roxas yelled for everyone to get behind it. Sora and Tifa did so. Sure enough, Xemnas tore through the wall towards the space they had just stood in. Roxas commanded his classmates to flank him. Tifa and Sora obeyed. The three of them surrounded Xemnas mid advance, breaking his momentum on all sides as Roxas engaged him from the front. The swing of the boy's blades met Xemnas at every turn, clashing the sabers at blistering speeds. It seemed hardly a sixteen-year-old boy standing before Sora, but a monster with blue flames for eyes and gnashing, porcelain white teeth.

"Don't let him split!" Roxas roared, cheering as Tifa bashed Xemnas on the head before he raised his hands in the air. When Xemnas swung a saber for her back, Roxas blocked it with one of his key blades and used the other to direct Xemnas' other saber. As Xemnas tumbled to the side, one of the key blades slipped from Roxas' grip and landed on the floor across the room. Tifa and Sora glanced towards it in surprise. Roxas blinked in shock. A sheepish grin plastered across his face as he apologized for the uncharacteristic clumsiness. He lunged for the weapon in a flash, squatting low after he got it in his hand. He waited for Xemnas to swirl into his black barrier and rumble towards him. When the man was ten feet away, Roxas jumped to his feet and crossed his key blades before him. But before he could block Xemnas' attack, the color left his face. He stumbled in confusion. Xemnas, Tifa, and Sora froze and stared at him. His twin key blades clattered as they hit white tile. His eyes fluttered closed. Then he crumpled to the floor.

"Roxas!" Sora screeched, sliding towards him and picking the unconscious boy up in his arms. As he patted Roxas' face, a high-pitched cry echoed from the back of the room. When Sora turned with a gasp, a red saber swept over his shoulder and singed the hairs on his neck. Tifa lay in a black heap across the room. When Sora glanced up, Xemnas grinned down at him. Sora glared. Xemnas chuckled.

"I think this is the worst midterm performance I have ever witnessed," he murmured. "But I suppose it would not be the first time you brought your teammates to defeat."

When Sora shoved Xemnas away and raised his key blade, the man kicked him so hard he fell over. Before Sora could scramble up, Xemnas' other saber lodged at the base of his throat.

"Roxas' talent consistently amazes me," he sighed. "Now we see how cruelly you have rested on his laurels. Your nonchalance has run him into the ground."

"What?" Sora squeaked. Xemnas leaned towards him.

"Roxas fainted from exhaustion," he whispered. "Now." His sabers relinquished.

"If you carry he and Tifa to the infirmary, I will make certain none of your trio is expelled."

Sora gulped and nodded. As he slipped Roxas over his shoulder and trudged for Tifa, Xemnas called, "and I would be careful, if I were you, in what way I interacted with Roxas from now on."

Sora glared at him with an open mouth. Xemnas grinned, bowed, and left. For a moment Sora stared at his receding back in disbelief. Then, blinking away his shock, he gathered Tifa onto his shoulder and heaved up, stumbling through the studio door and towards the elevator with labored steps. When he reached inside, he pressed ground floor and set his teammates against the wall. When the doors opened again, Sora hoisted Roxas and Tifa back over his shoulders and started into two flights of steps. By the time he made it to the second floor, he shook and sobbed.

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 **A/N: Vanitas returns with a bang! And another appearance from Xemnas! What will Sora do next?! PLEASE tell me what you think in the comments! I LOVE hearing from you! So FOLLOW, FAV, and REVIEW!**

 **Side note, I just bought and have started playing KHFM 1.5+2.5 and I LOVE IT! I already have 2.8 and am almost finished DDD, but I decided to hold off on it to play the games chronologically (even though I should have played BBS first of all, oh well!) At the point I'm at in 1.5, it's basically the same game as KH1 except the ultima weapon requirements are a slog (how many times do I have to fight that big bloody mushroom x.x) But it is nice to slowly edge away from the PS2 (mine is old as dirt) and my old copy of KH1 whose secret ending ALWAYS STOPS ON KAIRI ON THE BEACH! (why? T.T)**

 **Also, it's given me plenty of ideas for the future of this fanfic! Keep reading and reviewing!**


	21. Bycatch

**A/N: No reviews for the last chapter? T.T Quel dommage. Well, I'm almost on spring break so hopefully I'll be able to upload a few next week. The Drag Show is the chapter after this one! Please follow, fav, and review! Seriously, I love hearing what you have to say, even if it's only two words, and it helps me write better. Enjoy! **

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 _ **Chapter Twenty One**_

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"Heard Roxie had a stress goat on Thursday," drawled Ari. Sora closed his eyes and took in a deep, measured breath. When the breath let out, he asked what the nut Ari was talking about.

"You know. Telele. Princess Panic. Excessive gravitational pull."

"No, I don't know," Sora snapped. Ari chuckled and held up his hands. He and Sora were down in the electrical room trying to extricate Hacky, or Bog, for their excursion with Eraqus. But the Moogle was being difficult, as Ari's loudness scared it.

"He fainted," Sora intoned.

"Did he vomit everywhere? Projectile? I need to know for posterity."

"Ari, he stood up too fast!" Sora insisted. "The blood rushed to his head and he got dizzy. The nurse said he's suffering from exhaustion and gave him fluids."

"Shit," gasped Ari. Then he tapped his chin. "You know I always perceived Roxas as the man who could not be moved. I guess still waters run deep."

"Yeah," Sora swallowed, guilt tugging at the sore spot in his stomach again. Much more and he worried he would get an ulcer.

"I don't get all the stress," Ari sighed. "If I felt a certain way, I'd say it and be done with it."

"Some things you can't say," Sora intoned with chin upheld and eyes averted. Ari scoffed and narrowed his eyes.

"Don't get sanctimonious with me," he snapped. "How do you think I feel whenever I hear the name Riku? If I had it my way, I'd be Ari. I'd shave my head. Wear black eye liner."

Sora stared at Riku's identical in wonder. In this new revelation, Ari seemed almost like his own person.

"Anything to stop looking like that bozo," he muttered under his breath. Then he sniffed. Sora blinked in surprise as the replica attempted in vain to pull himself together. After leaning down and giving a half hearted call for "Bog" he leant against the wall and stared towards the concrete overhead.

"I wonder what it's like to be in love," he mumbled. "To actually _feel_ it. Man, woman, whatever. Anyone. Even Vexen or Xigbar. And those old fuckers make me cringe."

"You can't love?" asked Sora in confusion, attempting to scoot closer without making it appear so. Ari rolled his eyes and explained that he could love people, just not physically.

"I have a funny feeling Vexen tweaked a couple of the sugars in my DNA," he sighed. "I've only been attracted to women, I am completely impulsive, and I've never had an orgasm, prostate or otherwise- and believe me, I know what to do," he added with a pointed glance. Sora blushed and shrugged, mumbling that maybe things just took time. Ari shook his head.

"Vexen's in Larxene's closet handing her her shoes," he drawled. "Pretty sure he has a fat ended toothbrush and lube in his pocket at all times. I feel like he's living his ideal self through me."

"I'm sorry," responded Sora with furrowed brows, not fully understanding what Ari was talking about. "That must suck."

"Yeah, but I'll hold out for a miracle," Ari mumbled. Just then, Hacky's red pom-pom hovered from her hidey-hole. Sora gave it a gentle stroke and indicated some kupo nuts with his other hand. Hacky's pom-pom vibrated with joy. She trundled forward and pounced on the snacks as Sora pet her. When he asked if she wanted to go on an excursion with he and two friends, she peered towards Ari in suspicion. Ari waved. Hacky looked into Sora's eyes. Hesitated. Then she wrapped her pudgy stubs around his forearm and let him lift her up. Before he could take her out of the room, she squirmed and dashed back for her hidey-hole. Sora groaned and slid down by the break in the wall to wait. When Hacky returned, she had a small present in her arms. Sora gasped as she held it towards him.

"Hacky!" he whispered. "You shouldn't have!"

"Loob, Sora!"

"She gave you lube?" asked Ari, trying to peer over Sora's shoulder. Sora scowled and hid the present in his pocket, snapping that Hacky was trying to say "love." Ari let out a long coo of satisfaction. When he bent down to pet Hacky as well, Sora slapped his hand. Then he scooped Hacky up and led the three of them towards the elevators. When they reached the first floor, they sauntered out and met Eraqus in the forecourt. The man peered left and right before ripping up chunks of grass from the mosaic perimeter and cascading them high through the air. Once the blades drifted off, he nodded and held his forefinger up. With a frown he licked and held up his finger again. After satisfaction smoothed his features, he wiped his hand on the front of his robes and folded his palms behind his back. Then he turned to Ari and Sora and told them to follow him.

They traipsed down the familiar mountain path across the stone bridge until they came to the cleared fields and looming rubber forests near the burger joint. Sora's stomach flipped as the sound of sizzling oil and the smell of meat and grease assailed his senses. Soon, though, the joint passed, and they trudged deeper into the woods behind it, treading carefully along the banks of the mangrove swamp beneath until they came upon a long boat. Eraqus got in first and sat at the back with the rudder. Sora and Ari sat side-by-side facing him to operate the oars. Eraqus summoned his massive, black-keyed blade and pointed it upwards. An odd lavender beam ascended through the sky. Eraqus closed his eyes. Then he pointed forward. Ari and Sora assumed this meant depart. So they clasped the oars in their hands and rowed. All the while, Eraqus kept his eyes trained on Ari's bumbling form. The boy sweated as he tried turning the boat too fast. When pity overtook Sora's irritation, he pressed his foot against the replica's arch and met his eye. When he had his frightened glance, he pressed his side to Ari's and began to row, heaving back and forth at a slow, even pace. Ari followed suit, letting his body mirror Sora's drag and pull until they moved as one being. Eraqus narrowed his eyes.

"How does the sky look, Riku?" he murmured. Ari shrugged and mopped the sweat from his brow.

"Uh, clouds," he squeaked. "Mean rain."

"Probably tomorrow, right, Riku?" Sora chimed in. "Judging by the shape and closeness."

Ari nodded with vigor, a feigned smugness piercing his brow as he uttered agreement.

"At least these waves are easier to row than Destiny Sea, right?" Sora laughed in goading. Ari nodded and grinned, responding, "I don't know, hitting mangroves every ten feet sucks."

Sora laughed at a volume that seemed enthusiastic yet acceptable. Eraqus remained silent. It took everything in Sora to keep the vibe calm so that Ari could relax. Something was going on that he could not comprehend. Almost as if the two of them were taking a pop quiz without knowing it.

"How were the waves on Destiny Islands, Riku?" inquired Eraqus. "Master Xehanort told me many times. I enjoy hearing different interpretations of home. You do not need to answer for him, Sora," Eraqus added as Sora moved to interrupt. The command took the boy aback. He nearly dropped his oar in the water. As he stared at its drag under the swamp's surface, an idea struck him. With a whiny giggle he fumbled and scooted back and forth until he grasped the handle tightly in his hand.

"We're both a little rusty, huh, Riku?" he laughed, emphasizing the name. Ari tried not to wince, nodding and chortling in return. When Eraqus stared at him, he blushed and glanced up. Sora held his breath.

"The waves were…" he croaked, "...really blue… like, turquoise, like, my eyes, or so I've heard…" he sighed. Then he gasped, "There were paopu trees!"

"Did you eat paopu?" inquired Eraqus. Ari shrugged and muttered that he did not really like it.

"Too sweet, huh," blurted Sora. "I love paopu!"

"I don't believe I asked your opinion on paopu, Sora," Eraqus intoned. Sora giggled. Then he gulped.

"And… and the smell of the palms…" Ari continued, "Uh… well, I guess I get whiffs of it here, but, but it'll never be the same. And I guess, I guess that's not a bad thing, because, well… you live and grow and… move into your own space, but… Every once in a while, I… I wonder what it would have been like… if I'd… stayed," suddenly Ari broke off and looked away, rowing furiously. Sora struggled to keep up with him, leaning deeper into his arm so that the boy would remember to mirror him. The boat rocked as Ari readjusted himself.

"Time brings change," murmured Eraqus. "What was that letter your sister gave you before you left for the academy? I struggle to remember how I heard of it…"

Sora gaped and furrowed his brows. Who else could Eraqus have heard it from but Nimo? He was sure Riku would never have told anyone else about Sice's parting note. Had Vexen been keen enough to place that memory in Ari's head? Sora whipped his glance towards his roommate. When he saw his expression, his shoulders sagged.

Ari opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down his throat as his eyes glazed over. Sora glanced from tree to tree, wishing for a distraction. The fumble of the oar nor the sway of his body as he fidgeted back and forth deterred Eraqus' laser-like gaze. Stifling a groan, Sora took one more glance into the murky water beneath him. Then, blinking, he slid over the boat side and let the freezing deep encase him. Once green algae and lilies gliding along the water's surface pressed apart to grant him passage, he summoned his key blade and cast a small aero bubble around his head. Through its swirl, he noticed the sun shining into the river in hazy beams. Through the light passed particles. Old bits of leaf, dirt, microscopic fish and shrimp, and weed drifted suspended, clinging to the mangrove roots. Beneath the creeping upper stalks lay little dips and pockets in the trunk, separated by thick sub roots that thinned and compressed towards the bottom of the tree. Within the pockets huddled fish. Sora grinned at them. When a particularly large catfish turned his way, he froze and paddled back to the boat. When his head knocked against its side, a large gloved hand clasped his hair and wrenched him into open air.

As the aero spell broke and Sora screeched, the catfish from behind the mangrove opened its jaws and snatched at his floating feet. Ari settled Sora onto his lap and tried providing mouth to mouth resuscitation before Sora slapped him and scrambled to sitting. By the time he rubbed his eyes and blinked up, Eraqus was leaning over the boat edge pointing towards a fish larger than the one that had tried eating Sora.

"There it is!" he cried. "The beast with the red mark!"

The long, shark-looking whiskered fish lurked on the riverbank far ahead. By the time Eraqus cast aero and propelled the boat right to the fish's side, it had disappeared. The headmaster cursed and shook his head.

"We need bait," he murmured.

"Bait?" Sora gulped through a shivering stutter. When Ari tried pushing him over again, he yelped and clung to the boy's arms. Eraqus commanded them to remain silent. Then they waited. As the sun rose in the sky and the heat became unbearable, Hacky panted and leaned against Sora's arm. He retrieved his bottle of water from his side and let her drink some. Then he took swamp water and patted it to her head. She nuzzled against his inner elbow. Sora sang to her. Once they traveled further down the river into shade, Eraqus murmured for Sora to let the Moogle look around. When he prodded Hacky and told her to look up, her eyes widened from tiny beads to big black billiard balls.

Strange trees with shriveled, purple nuts hung all around them. Their scent was sickly sweet, almost as if they were rotting. The water was stagnant and green within the clearing. More trees clung to the ground extending above the swamp bank. But they were black with mold and heat. Little bones hung throughout. Remnants of a different time.

"A kupo farm," Eraqus murmured. "Few domesticated Moogles eat kupo nuts, these days. Can't stomach them. The Land of Departure once held vast swaths of kupo farms. Now, to find a blightless and ripe nut is near impossible. Without Moogles to protect the trees, fish dig through the roots and eat away the soft shaft beneath. Without soil to stand on, the trees dam the water and divide the farms from the world in stagnant pools. They have become private graves, where Moogles lay their old to rest."

Hacky looked out on the farm with watering eyes. Sora felt her claws dig into his arms and did not stop them. Suddenly she cried out in a shrill, high-pitched note. For a moment there was silence. Then, several high-pitched notes responded on the whisper of the wind. Twenty minutes passed. Rustles emanated through the trees. Twitters and whines of "kupo," whispered through the long leaves. All at once the trees were full of fluttering purple wings and donut hole legs. Wild Moogles from far and wide sang and clucked at Hacky. Hacky jumped from Sora's lap and twittered back, joy swelling her large head with blush. She seemed to be repeating her name. Several of the Moogles mirrored her, adding other grunts and whines in a language Sora could not understand. Hacky jumped and twirled through the air on failing wings. Tears burst from her eyes. She indicated Sora and repeated his name. Sora blushed in hesitance. Soon the entire clearing rang with different interpretations. "Subo," seemed the most common. Sora waved at the Moogles. When he glanced into Hacky's eyes, she fixed him with the strangest smile. Then, she closed her eyes, laid her head against his lap, and fell into a deep sleep. The clearing went quiet.

"Hacky?" Sora asked, poking at the Moogle's face. When he felt her neck, his blood ran cold.

"Hacky?" he wailed, slapping her cheeks to get her to wake up. When her eyes hung open and her tongue lolled out, Sora gaped.

"I don't think Hacky's waking up, Sora," Ari drawled.

"Shut up!" Sora wailed, repeating Hacky's name until Eraqus commanded him to remain silent. Something flitted through the water in the distance. A red eye glowed beneath. Eraqus narrowed his glance.

"If there is anything fish bred on kupo loves," he whispered. "It is a Moogle supper."

"What?" croaked Sora. Ari nodded and snatched the Moogle from his hands. Then he pitched it overboard.

"What the absolute fuck!" Sora screeched, contemplating throwing Ari into the water with it. The Moogles in the trees were screeching and spitting in anger or fear. When the fish's huge mouth emerged from beneath the water and swallowed Hacky whole, Sora roared and jumped in after it, casting aero around his whole body as he floated forward. The fish stared at him in surprise as he bobbed towards it. Before it could escape, Sora cast blizzaga. Instead of catching the fish's tail in ice, he just froze the water surrounding himself. As the fish swam away and Sora struggled to extricate his key blade arm before his aero spell petered out, a blaze of flame singed the water behind him. Once he was free, he was pulled onto the boat again. In rage Sora screeched and banged his feet against the boat bottom. Then he covered his face with his hands and sobbed.

"Did you plan on doing that the entire time?" he wailed to Eraqus. The man shrugged.

"Reno spoke to me about the substation Moogle and expressed the idea that it might be diseased. If it was in fact in the early stages of Moogle Flu, that fish will return to its brood and poison every one."

"You're sick!" Sora spat.

"Hacky was going to die anyway, Sora!" Ari said. "Maybe it wanted to go outside because it knew it was on its way out!"

"Fish who eat kupo shafts gain unnatural powers, Sora," Eraqus intoned. "They must be controlled for the ecosystem to thrive."

"Hacky doesn't deserve to rot inside some fish!" Sora wailed. Ari rubbed his shoulder and said that it was the circle of life. As Sora moaned and nursed the empty air where Hacky had once sat, Eraqus glanced across the horizon and murmured that it was time to go home. As they drove the boat back the way they had come, Sora abandoned his quest to make Ari look good. The replica fumbled until they reached the burger joint. When they got there, Eraqus offered to treat them to dinner. As they made their way to the familiar outdoor patio, Sora wondered if the remnants of his chunks still floated somewhere along the banks. Ari ordered a burger. Eraqus ordered lemon water. Sora ordered nothing. After the food came out and Ari dug in, the headmaster cleared his throat and narrowed his glance.

"If you can believe it," he started, "my real intention was not to take you fishing. Although your Moogle represented a wonderful opportunity, I invited you truly, to speak with you about matters close to my heart."

Sora scoffed under his breath as Ari furrowed his brows. Eraqus cast his eyes across both of them before taking a sip from his lemon water and continuing.

"In recent years, ensuring the sustained excellence of this academy has become difficult without outside help. Master Xehanort has been pivotal to this cause. As to be expected, the chain of command has altered. I respect and encourage the endeavors of Organization Thirteen. But when certain rumors fly under my nose that go against the aims and morals of this academy, I am forced to intervene."

Sora and Ari stared forward in dumb stupor. As both chanced a glance to the other, Eraqus turned to Ari.

"Following rumors of a breach in contract, I obtained a warrant to search Vexen's personal laboratory on school grounds. Within were found copied documents detailing a replica program."

The color left Ari's face. He attempted taking another bite of his burger, but it seemed impossible. As Eraqus watched, he narrowed his eyes. With all his might Ari continued his meal. He even croaked a laugh.

"I always thought Vexen was a wiedo," he munched. "But that takes the cake."

"Word passes from those who worry for their friends," Eraqus murmured. "Friends who do not act themselves."

Ari withered under Eraqus' stare. Though Sora hated him for what he had done to Hacky, pity thawed his heart again. He tickled Ari under the table to make him laugh. Through giggles and scoffs the replica announced that people changed.

"People want their friends to act the same as they always have," he explained with a wavering voice. "But people change. And true friends realize that."

Sora nodded in thought. "I don't think you've changed, Riku," he muttered. Eraqus and Ari looked at him in surprise.

"You're yourself deep down," he added with a forced smile. Ari blinked and grinned. "Still the winner," he sighed, shooting Sora a sly wink that made Sora grit his teeth. Eraqus let out a harrumph. When he finished his lemon water he shrugged.

"I have commanded Vexen to suspend all replica studies. As such, any replica found will be destroyed."

Ari stopped mid burger and stared at his hands. With a deep breath he forced himself to finish. Sora stared forward with a wide-open mouth.

"Abomination of human life will not be tolerated on my campus," Eraqus warned. "And those involved shall suffer consequences."

With that he turned to Sora. The boy shrank in his seat.

"Are you involved in a homoerotic relationship with my adoptive son?"

If Sora had been eating or drinking anything, he would have spit it out. When he heard the familiar sound erupt in his right ear, he wondered if he had ordered a salad and spit out a mouthful without realizing. Then he realized a chunk of Ari's chewed on burger had landed on his arm. As Sora glanced towards him, something worked in Ari's mind. His eyes went wide.

"What?" Sora croaked before the replica could interject.

"Multiple rumors have surfaced since last year stating you and he have been involved," Eraqus responded. Sora could feel Ari's eyes boring into his side. He shook the sensation off with a scoff.

"W-w-he's one of my best friends," he explained through a stutter. "P-people hated m-me last year. They said I-I had sex with, with everyone, when I didn't. I would never-"

"I would not have brought it up without ample suspicion," responded Eraqus. "I do not condone degenerate behavior within the walls of my school and I do not condone it in my sons. Especially Roxas. I have given him unique responsibilities this year and should he traffic with students, he will be fired."

"Roxas did nothing wrong!" snapped Sora.

"Did he engage you in kissing lessons?" asked Eraqus. Ari choked on his food again. Sora ignored it and gritted his teeth.

"No!" he spat.

"Then why did you inform Tidus Morita that he kissed you?"

"Because I have a crush on him!" Sora roared. When he finished, he clamped his hand over his mouth. Eraqus stared at him with wide eyes. Ari shuffled away a few millimeters. When he murmured that he needed to use the bathroom, Eraqus commanded him to remain seated and finish his food. Ari nodded and finished his burger, starting into his fries with slow, quiet bites.

"Roxas inspired you to join LGBTQ, did he not?" snarled Eraqus. "Did Coco and her posse put these ideas in your head?"

"No," Sora said, riffling through his mind in desperation for an answer. "It was Vanitas!" he settled on. Ari and Eraqus blinked at him in confusion.

"Vanitas?" Eraqus blurted. "My colleague's most promising apprentice?"

"H-he was always calling me gay," Sora stuttered. "And slapping me in the showers, and I just wanted to prove him r-right so he'd stop bugging me, and R-Roxas was a good friend, and I always saw Vanitas touching Ventus-."

"What?" gasped Eraqus. Sora blinked out at him in fear. Eraqus glanced from side to side as if lost. Then, he threw a large bill across the table and murmured that he would continue to the school without them. As soon as he disappeared through the joint's backdoor, Ari gave a foreboding burp. When Sora turned to look at him, the boy held his head between his knees.

"Sora," he croaked. "I'm going to be sick."

Sora jumped up and rushed him to the bathroom around the building's side, roaring for anyone within to get out. When he realized it was empty, he barreled inside and brought Ari to the toilet. As soon as the lid went up, Ari clung to the sides and wretched up his dinner. Sora closed and locked the bathroom door. Then he held Ari's hair back. The boy retched ten times. The eleventh transformed into a dry heave. With a groan Ari tumbled from the toilet side and leaned against the wall, wiping the sick from his chin and letting his arm fall to his side. When he tried wiping the tears from his eyes, Sora did it for him. He washed Ari's hands with a wet paper towel and mopped up his chin. As he brushed away the wet hair plastered to Ari's dripping brow, the boy sniffled and scrunched up his face. When he leaned into Sora's shoulder and began sobbing, Sora rubbed his back as Axel had done that summer, scooting his chin over the boy's boiling head.

"Well you really fucked that up," Ari groaned through tears. "He's probably going to disband LGBTQ now for hypnotizing people gay."

"Oh, shut up," Sora grumbled. "Everything will be fine if the show goes well."

Ari nodded and wiped the snot from his nose.

"Gods, I've never been so miserable," he sniffed. "I'll never eat a burger again."

"Yeah," Sora croaked. Ari's tears and sweat drenched his athletic shirt until it stuck to his chest.

"It was like being forced to eat a whale with a key blade pointed to your head," he groaned. "Maybe it was payback for your Moogle." As Sora shrugged against the replica's forehead, a strange, high-pitched whimper crackled from the silverette's throat. When Sora glanced into his teal eyes, he met an expression of horrible, ghost pale terror.

"Sora," Ari whispered. "I don't want to die."

Sora's heart twisted through his gut. He threw his arms around the replica and murmured that he was going to live.

"You're going to have a great fucking life," he wavered, his arms tight around Ari's big shoulders. "You're going to have so many prostate orgasms you'll never be able to hold a key blade again."

Ari laughed in spite of himself. Then, with furrowed brows, he asked if Sora really kissed Roxas. Sora blushed and bit his lip.

"I- yeah. Lots," he whispered. "But you can't tell anyone."

"Bitch, I'm a secret keeper extraordinaire," snorted Ari. When he stared at Sora again, he clasped the boy's hands in his own.

"Why don't you just fuck him?" he whispered, face shining like a dripping beacon.

"Wait, woah, woah, woah," Sora backed up, leaning his head against the toilet bowl with his hands stretched in front of him. "Guys can't do that."

"The fuck?" barked Ari, throwing back his head and cackling. Sora blushed as he stared at him.

"Did Coco tell you nothing about gay sex?"

"Well, she talked about condoms, but guys don't have vaginas!" Sora blubbered. "And, and that might have been the lecture I slept through last year."

Ari busted out laughing again. When someone knocked on the door and told them to get out, Ari shouted that he was having explosive diarrhea. Sora cupped his hands over his face in embarrassment as Ari chortled.

"Sora, you stick your dick in their butthole," Ari explained. Sora stared at him. Then he gasped in horror.

"No!" he hissed.

"Fuck yeah!" barked Ari. "I have personal experience from lying under Nimo."

Sora stared as Ari sniffed and traced his finger around the toilet floor. When the silverette grimaced and wiped tears from his eyes, Sora rubbed his back.

"D-does it hurt?" he asked. Ari laughed through tears.

"Hurts like shit with no lube," he mumbled. "Apparently that's what your buddy and he used to do. I've been trying to ease him out of the habit since I started school. I think Nimo told Eraqus he didn't recognize me after I asked if we could just be normal friends."

"Maybe it was just other stuff he's noticed since the beginning of the year," tried Sora. "You're not exactly... convincing, at times."

Ari scoffed and gave him a puffy, knowing glance.

"Nimo doesn't give a shit whether I'm a Moogle in a meat suit," he sighed. "Now that I'm under his thumb, he's got someone he can do whatever he wants with."

"That's awful," gulped Sora, wincing as he thought of what Vanitas had done to him last year. Ari shrugged.

"The sooner my prostate works, the better," he sighed. "At least then I can enjoy it. But, hey. Guess a replica can't shoot for much happiness, anyway, right?"

"You shoot however high the fuck you want," muttered Sora. Ari chuckled and threw his arm around his shoulder. Sora glanced at the gesture in suspicion, but stayed where he was.

"But seriously," Ari insisted. "If you like Roxas, just tell him."

"I don't want to be bisexual," Sora groaned under his breath. He yelped when Ari slapped him on the back of the head.

"You either are or you aren't, Sora," Ari barked. "Stop dicking around and admit it. You love scoping out pert male ass."

"Okay, Ari, I think that's enough," Sora warned. Ari slapped his thigh and cackled again.

"I'd do the horizontal mambo with Roxas," he sighed. "I hear he's a hot tamale."

"Ari…" Sora groaned, rubbing his face in his hands.

"But even if you don't tap that," Ari insisted. "You've got to give yourself a prostate orgasm, Sora. You've got to tell me what it's like. Have Roxas help you."

"You want me to get Roxas kicked out?" Sora snapped. "I've already gotten him in trouble once."

"I'll tell Nimo to fuck himself when you bone Roxas," Ari insisted.

"Ari, I like someone else!" Sora snapped. Ari blinked. His mouth formed an 'o.' When Sora would not respond who, Ari's brows furrowed. Then his eyes narrowed. He nodded and shrugged. With that he scrambled up, mopped the sweat from his collar and brow, and opened the door to the bathroom. Sora followed him. When they reached their table, they found change for Eraqus' bill. After a shared glance, Sora balled it up and chucked it into the waves beneath the burger joint porch. Then, he and Ari returned up the short cut stairs and rope bridge to the back of the black box, where the LGBTQ club was having their first run through for the drag show.

~X~

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 **A/N: So we find out Nimo is an even bigger monster than we previously thought... but what do you all think of Eraqus? I could go into a spiel about him right now, but I'll wait to hear what you all have to say... and why was he so shocked when Sora told him about Ventus and Vanitas? What's going to happen now?! What were the "responsibilities" Eraqus gave Roxas? So many questions! Keep reading, and FOLLOW, FAVORITE, and REVIEW! **


	22. Life is a Drag

**A/N: R12! T.T As usual, thou art my muse! Yes, I will readily admit that Eraqus gets worse. He's kind of been innocuous white noise until now, but the more Sora messes with the system, the more he puts down his foot... as for this chapter... in the words of SLJ... hold onto your butts... (and wigs)...**

* * *

~X~

 ** _Chapter Twenty Two_**

~X~

Sora leaned from his designated "makeup" chair into Elsa's brush. She had decided against performing in the show because of nerves. Sora wished he could do the same thing. As she played with his face, shifting it this way and that, finding its angle, she grinned.

"I'm going to give you a really sexy smoky eye," she murmured. "To match your shoes."

Sora nodded and closed his eyes. He was in a pair of silk tights and knee-high boots. He wore a velvet bralette and waist high briefs with a half skirt surrounding the backside. All black. Covered in little twinkling stars sewn on by Shiki herself. His choppy bangs had been swooped into a curvy bump towards the left side of his head. The rest of his hair was pulled back tight into a fake ponytail that spilled over his shoulders in sweeping loose curls. As Elsa finished the eyeliner, three sets of footsteps clomped over. Someone squealed in delight. Another clapped. Another gasped.

"Elsa!" said a familiar voice. "You're fucking good!" Kairi?

"Far cry from his Malibu Barbie days, huh?" giggled Coco.

"The black rose has emerged from its thorns!" Yuna purred. Sora giggled in spite of himself, placing his manicured fingers carefully against his thighs.

"Should I do navy lipstick to match his nails?"

"Oh, give him some brown rose, make them look bigger!" gasped Coco. Sora felt a finger prod at the side of his lips. He winced and whined. Another pair of feet stomped over.

"Look, guys," snapped Ari. "I know you think Sora is pretty and all, but I'm up way before him!"

"We're doing walks first, Ari," responded Coco. "So lip sync order doesn't matter."

Ari scowled but stayed rooted in place. Sora could feel his eyes burrowing into him.

"Damn, Sora looks fucking hot," he announced. Coco squealed and clapped harder as everyone agreed. When yet another set of feet came over and another voice squealed, Sora tried peeking one eye open. Elsa slapped his hand and told him to let himself be surprised. Sora scowled and snuggled back into the makeup seat.

"Sora!" Joshua bleated. "You look so sexy!"

Sora's confidence jumped. A smile twitched at the side of his mouth. He mumbled thanks. Then his lips were forcibly opened and spread so that Elsa could apply lipstick. Once she was finished, she glossed them and told Sora to open his eyes. When he did, he gasped.

Staring back at him through the mirror was a woman. Not a girl, anymore. Sora leaned forward and brushed his finger across Elsa's contouring. When Elsa yelped, he sat back in expectation, closing his eyes just as setting mist sprayed against his face. After the excess was batted away, he reexamined himself with a grin. His electric blue eyes were surrounded by smokey black. His brows were darkened, their angle intensified. His lips looked twice their size. His nose looked thin and buttoned. And his face looked more angular. When Elsa asked if she could contour boobs on him, Sora nodded and puffed out his chest. His classmates watched with mouths hung as Elsa forced his pecks up with packing tape and padded the leftover bra space with socks. When she was finished filling his new breasts in with makeup, Yuna and Kairi squealed.

"Stand up, Sora," breathed Coco. When Sora stood and turned, the rest of the class gasped and cried out. Sora took one more peak at himself in the mirror. His heart fluttered. His tummy control briefs had cinched his stomach so much it looked like he actually had curves. And he had to admit; his habit of excessive squatting while fighting had paid off in the butt department. As he twirled around, Ari took his place in the makeup chair. Sora noticed his hair being pulled back into a ponytail as well. Instead of curls, though, his fell straight down his back. He was in a red leotard with puffy shoulders and a V-neck so deep it carried down to the bottom of his sternum. Elsa did the tape trick with him, too, only instead of cupping around his pecks, she cupped in the sides. Even so, Sora could not help but noticing that Ari's fake boobs were about twice the size of his. Like Riku's, the replica's skin was so pale it shone. When Ari leaned towards Elsa and whispered something in her ear that made her giggle, Sora narrowed his eyes and stalked off. As he got to the stage door, he heard a loud hiss. As he turned, he gasped.

A cute tan girl with massive, sandy blonde locks and wide blue eyes looked upon him with trembling lips from within the stage's front curtain. When Sora peered closer, he flew his hands to his mouth.

"Tidus?" he gasped. Tidus whimpered and stepped towards him. He was wearing a reimagining of Sora's costume last year. It was the same blue bikini, but instead of covering the bottoms with a sarong, he wore a soft blue, waist high miniskirt made of translucent PVC. Massive circular studs hung from his ears. His legs jittered so bad they vibrated. He seemed as if he would burst into tears at any moment. As he watched him, Sora had a strike of déjà vu.

"Tidus," he whispered, rubbing the boy's back as he pressed him towards his contoured chest. "Don't be nervous! You were so funny during the callbacks! As long as you relax, you'll do great!"

"I can't even breath around Yuna!" Tidus gasped. "I'm going to faint!"

"She's just a girl, Tidus!" Sora insisted.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you announcing with Naminé hanging on your shoulder," spat Tidus in return.

"With me hanging what?"

Sora swiveled around with a high-pitched yelp. When he met Naminé's soft, cerulean gaze he went weak in the knees. Tidus snorted as Sora croaked hello. As Sora shot him a dangerous glance, Naminé giggled and said that she was really excited.

"Coco said I could sit in the audience," she chirped. "Did you like the posters?"

"They're beautiful," Sora breathed. When Naminé's eyes fluttered closed from his gusting breath, he stepped away and coughed. Naminé blushed.

"Sora," she murmured with wetted lips. "You, you look absolutely… stunning."

Sora felt himself melt as she beamed, wishing he could be a girl forever just to hear her say the words again.

"May I kiss you on the cheek?" she asked. Sora nodded so hard he nearly threw his earrings out. Naminé giggled and readjusted them, letting her soft pink fingers trail along the sides of his ears. When her nails grazed his lobes, Sora's eyes fluttered closed and he sighed. He opened just as Naminé's lips pursed against the commissure of his own. When she broke away, she winked. Sora gave an awkward chortle. His mouth went dry. Naminé waited. As she wished him luck and turned to go, Sora yelped and grabbed her arm.

"Naminé," he breathed, attempting to wet his lips without touching the gloss. "I need to tell you something."

"What, Sora?" she asked, something like hesitance painting her brow. Sora beamed. His heart crushed the inside of his chest. He sucked in a breath. Formed his mouth around the words. Thought the phrase in his mind. Then, it left. He forgot. Who he was. Where he was. Why he was. What he wanted to say. As he stood in dumb bliss, Naminé furrowed her brows. Sora shook himself out and closed his eyes to start again. When he opened and took another deep breath, Ari clapped his hands around Naminé's eyes and made her squeal.

"Who- is that you, Ari?" Naminé giggled. Ari winked at Sora and said in a bad girly voice, "no, it's Arianna." Naminé laughed. Sora thought he saw her lean towards Ari's touch. His lips pursed. When Naminé wiggled her way out of Ari's arms to look at him full on, she gasped and screamed. His hair was pulled into a tight, straight silver ponytail, revealing his widow's peak and dark brows. Elsa had painted a soft angle to them and filled out his cheeks, giving him a fierce but endearing look. And till now, Sora had never appreciated just how big the muscles of the replica's thighs were. When he chanced a look at Ari's butt, he scowled in envy. Ari did a sexy pose, popping his backside and puffing out his packed chest. Naminé threw back her head and screeched laughter. Sora tried chuckling along, but his throat was so dry it came out like a wheeze. Naminé threw her hands around Ari's shoulders and made him yelp.

"Nami, don't mess up the puffs," he whined, readjusting the pop of his sleeves. Naminé cooed and helped him. When he turned back to her, she kissed him on the cheek. Sora's gut twisted.

"Do you like it?" Ari asked with a shy grin, peeking out at Naminé through long fake lashes. Naminé beamed and whispered that he looked beautiful. With a satisfied grin Ari flipped back his hair and shrugged his shoulders.

"No big deal," he sighed, "but I think I'm going to trash the competition at lip syncing."

"It's not a contest," interjected Sora in irritation. "It's about coming together to support queer acceptance."

"Okay, big boy, calm down." Ari worded with outstretched palms. "I'm just joshing about."

"Well it's distracting," Sora responded in a snippy tone. As he stalked towards Tidus, he thought he head Ari ask why Sora turned into a bitch when he put on a bra. Sora gritted his teeth and stomped back to the wall. Tidus shot him a smug grin.

"How did your love declaration go?" he cooed.

"Oh, whatever," muttered Sora. When the stage door behind them burst open to reveal a head of golden spiky locks, Sora gasped and dashed behind Tidus' petit back. As the boy swiveled around in confusion, Roxas strolled in flanked by Axel. Both wore black skinny jeans and button down tops. Roxas' hair was brushed. As he scanned the stage and admired the bustling costumes, lights, and set pieces, he whispered for Sora. Against his better judgement Sora responded that he was not available. When Roxas caught sight of his black knee high boots and silken legs, he clapped his hands over his mouth, steadied his hands on either side of him, and stalked over like a panther. The closer he got to Sora and Tidus, the closer the paws reached. When they shot out and clamped around Sora's waist behind Tidus' back, Tidus screeched and fell backwards, knocking Sora into the wall. Sora hit his tailbone on the curtain switch and groaned, pressing stop just before the stage exposed itself.

"Sorry, Sora," Tidus whispered. Roxas tried peeking over Tidus' shoulder, but all he could see were the flowing, soft curls emanating from the back of Sora's scalp.

"Sora, just let me take a peek!" he whined, peeping under Tidus' arm. Tidus gave Axel an awkward hello as Roxas turned and prodded him this way and that in his effort to reach Sora. Axel replied with a curt nod.

"Just wait till the show!" Sora whined.

"Let me see, Sora," tried Axel, pressing Roxas away from Tidus and grabbing Sora's shoulder. When Sora peered up at him, Axel's mouth dropped. He wrenched Sora forward and stared into his face. Coldness pierced his emerald eyes. When Roxas whined in want, Axel turned to him with raised brows. Then he gave a smug smile and winked.

"He looks good," he stated. Then he brushed ahead of Roxas and slid behind the curtain. Roxas gaped and threw his hands on either side of him.

"Good, how?" he snapped. "Good, how!" There was no response. With a scowl he turned back to Sora's hidden face and pecked him on the shoulder, letting his lips and breath linger against the brunette's warm skin. Tidus stared at the exchange with eyes the size of saucers.

"Break legs, guys," Roxas murmured, trailing across Sora's back. For a moment, he lingered. Then his lips broke contact and he was gone behind the curtain. Tidus turned to Sora with pursed lips. Sora peeped down at him. Tidus raised a brow.

"What?" Sora snapped. "You never seen friends josh around before?"

"I-" Tidus started. Then he gave up with a shrug. Another hand fell on his back and made him screech. When he turned, he was greeted by a man in a smart blue suit and slicked back brown hair. When Sora realized it was Yuna, he threw his arms around her. Tidus' lip trembled as Yuna's arms curled around Sora's back.

"Sora, I don't know if I said it before, but you look stunning!" Yuna chuckled in his ear, pulling him back to look at him again. In his heels, he was taller than her. He puffed up his stuffed chest in pride and giggled. When Yuna saw Tidus, she screeched and hugged him too. Even in four-inch heels, he only reached her chest. As he nuzzled his cheek into her breast and closed his eyes in bliss, Yuna pecked the top of his head. When he looked up at her, she winked.

"I'm counting on you to help me host, Tidus!" she cooed, pressing her forefinger to his nose. Tidus giggled and blushed, twinkling a brilliant white smile at her. Yuna laughed and pinched under his jaw. For a moment Tidus stayed staring at her. Then a strange look came over his face. His mouth grimaced. He clutched between his legs. Yuna blinked in shock as Tidus teetered towards Sora. Sora grasped onto him with furrowed brows. Then, with a gasp he understood.

"You forgot to tuck," Sora lied loud enough for Yuna to hear. Tidus stared up at him without speaking. Sora nodded and volunteered to take him to the bathroom. The thrum of the growing audience echoed in their ears as they left the stage door and teetered down the Teatro's red carpeted hall towards the bathrooms. When they finally reached the men's, Tidus burst in and cursed loudly, throwing his stomach over the sink and clutching his hands between his legs. When his blond wig fell dangerously close to the soap dispenser, Sora yelped and slid him to the sink's other side. Tidus rested his cheek against the mirror and whimpered as he attempted padding his tucked erection. When the padding turned to scratching and the glass under Tidus' cheek began to pearl with fog, Sora slapped his hands away.

"It hurts, Sora," Tidus wailed. Sora rolled his eyes and got some tissue to wipe Tidus' tears.

"Just let it pass," he tried, "It's like the chicken pox, you scratch and it gets worse. Just think about jokes for hosting the walks." Tidus whimpered and stretched his legs away from each other. Sora rolled up his paper towel and began fanning him.

"Have you ever gone hard while tucked?" asked Tidus. Sora nodded. "I went hard while practicing dancing," he said. "I had to learn not to."

"How am I going to host if I can't even hug Yuna without my dumb pee-pee trying to break out?" Tidus whimpered. Sora tried not to snort at the fact that Tidus still used the word pee-pee. Instead he rubbed Tidus' back and continued fanning his splayed legs from behind, humming the words of "Side to Side" and bobbing his head. When the door to the bathroom opened and someone in black pressed in, Sora glanced up and gaped.

For a moment the intruder padded around his pockets and batted back the blue fringe shrouding his right eye. When his glance moved from his jeans to Sora's false lashed eyes, he reeled back and yelped. Zexion. Sora was beginning to think that all of Organization Thirteen wore black skinny jeans off work. His former poetry teacher wore a black v-neck and midnight blue bomber jacket as well. The color scheme actually fit Sora's outfit beautifully. When Zexion's eyes moved from the crease of skin separating Sora's midnight blue briefs from his golden thigh to Tidus' exposed blue bikini bottoms, splayed legs, and cupped hands, he gasped and stuttered.

"I, well, bu-du, I- wrong bath- sorry." Then he bowed, swiveled, hit his head on the door trying to push it open, and pulled instead. Once he left, Tidus and Sora stared at one another. Then they broke out laughing. When they finished, Tidus stood up and readjusted his see-through skirt.

"I feel so much better now!" he sighed.

"Zexion didn't even recognize us!" Sora chirped. Tidus grinned and said he would get a nasty shock when they came out in the middle of the performance. Sora nodded and giggled. Then they departed the bathroom together, passing several curious guests on their way back to the stage door. When they got inside, Mulan, who was acting as stage manager, called everyone to their stations for the walks. Sora gave Tidus one more hug and told him he would do great. Tidus whimpered and trudged to Yuna's side. Elsa prepared the notecards for the speech she had to give before the show started, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths as she fidgeted with her gloved hands. Belle and Marceline shadowed their lip-sync choreography. Joshua winced as he padded against his sequin sheathed stomach. Sora peeked over his shoulder at Ari, who responded with a silent snarl and wink. Ahead of everyone, Mulan counted heads and clapped her hands.

"Alright, are we all in order?" she bellowed. A round of yesses responded. She skipped with joy and dashed towards the curtain to peek out. When she saw the amount of people filling the seats, she gasped and squealed. Just as she turned to address everyone, Coco burst though the stage door and said that they had sold out.

"The theatre is full?" gasped Selphie from the back of the line. She and Kairi grinned in excitement. Coco nodded.

"Now let's give them the show of a lifetime!" she hissed. "It's time to get sickening!"

The class cheered. As they waited, Sora peeked back again, settling with a frown on Joshua. The color had gone from his lips. What had started as leaning and prodding around the hem of his sequined skirt had transformed into clutching and bending forward. As the pale blond gritted his teeth and set his hands on his knees, Sora whipped his glance forward and blinked hard. Mulan flipped to page one in her cue book and raised her hand, hissing for everyone to get behind the wings except Yuna and Tidus. Sora peeked behind him one more time and gasped as his eyes settled on Cloud. He was wearing the same purple mini dress he wore last year. This year his hair was red. He had a rancorous expression on his face. When Sora gave him the thumbs up, he blinked in surprise and let out a blushing smile. Sora beamed and turned forward.

"Light cue one, sound cue one, go!" Mulan hissed. As the lights changed and the Ru Daul Drag Race theme blared across the speakers, the front curtains parted just enough for Yuna and Tidus to saunter towards the podium. When the audience realized who was who, they roared approval and hooted in pleasure. Yuna bubbled laughter and posed. Tidus stood beside her like a little dazed Barbie doll, a microphone clamped in his skinny, trembling hand.

"This is my first show in this theatre!" Yuna announced. "New duds, too. How does everyone like them?" she added with a wink, posing again. The crowd went wild. Tidus let out a giggle, swallowing it when he became aware the audience heard him.

"My name is Dick Seashaft!" Yuna announced. An awkward silence ensued. She coughed and gave a pointed look to Tidus, who stared back with unblinking eyes. The audience snickered. Tidus gasped in realization.

"Tidu- uh, Tilda Tidyconch," he yelped. The crowd roared and clapped. When Sora peeped around the curtain's right side near Tidus' back, he noticed a few guests whispering in the front row and narrowed his eyes. Tidus stole a look at him. Sora gave him the thumbs up. Tidus chanced a grin and turned back to the audience.

"Please welcome club president, Elsa of Arendelle!"

The crowd roared as Elsa walked out in a smart blue and purple, slim skirted dress. They sat quietly through thank yous and opportunities for fundraising or joining the club. When Elsa bowed and turned to go, the crowd clapped in disinterest. Yuna shoved the podium away. When Tidus attempted inching towards the wall for something to lean on, Yuna grabbed his arm and kept him close. The audience snickered. Tidus gulped and massaged his throat. His lip trembled. Sora's hands curled into fists.

"Now are you ready to see our lovely ladies and gentlemen?" Yuna asked. The crowd roared yes.

"I can't hear you!" Yuna cooed. The crowd boomed so loud the footlights fizzled. Yuna backed off with a cry of surprise, beamed, and winked for everyone to ready themselves.

"Tilda, darling, would you like to explain the walks?" Yuna cooed. Tidus slurped back drool and blubbered into the microphone.

"The walks are r-runways wi-with d-d-d-different categories, and, and you can c-come dressed as you, as you-"

"Start speaking English," roared a familiar voice from the fifth row. Sora closed his eyes. The most hated word in the language of man must have been 'Vanitas.' When Tidus heard his cackle, he whimpered and padded at his lashes. Yuna pursed her lips and threw her arm over his shoulder, continuing, "We speak one hundred percent realness at this show!"

Sora winced at the staleness of the joke. They should have picked Kairi. Tidus had been so much funnier reading the walks with her. Sora had to do something to slap him out of his funk. He bit his lip and cracked his neck.

"Our first walk is femme king and queen realness," Yuna announced. "Let's give it up for our fishiest contenders! Dill Dolman!"

Kairi walked out in torn up skinny jeans, converses, thick leather bracelets, a black baseball cap, an open checkered button up, and a white v neck t. her hair fell in a harsh middle part around her black lined eyes. When she reached center stage, she spun on her heels and turned her cap backwards. Before she left, she held up the peace sign and stuck her tongue out, winking at one of the female teachers in the first row. The crowd gasped and squealed in delight. Larxene clapped and giggled.

"Sasha Furs!"

When Ari sauntered out in his red leotard, the crowd nearly broke the edge of the stage. The replica curved the the rim as if he had been modeling his entire life. Sora clenched his teeth as he stared. When the replica lingered in the center of the runway, doing poses and biting his lip, Sora hissed for Yuna to call the next queen.

"Plain Wit Marshelph," Tidus blurted. The crowd cheered as Selphie strolled out dressed like a boy band member. As she pinched Tidus in the thigh, he yelped and stuttered over the next name. The audience became restless. Tidus fumbled and wiped at his eyes again, smearing a bit of the liner. Sora's toes pressed together inside his shoes.

"Where the fuck are the jokes?" shouted Vanitas' voice. Sora resisted the urge to summon his key blade.

"Work it, girl," Tidus said in a broken whimper. "Work it."

"Work on speaking!" another voice thundered. Sora was sure it was Nimo. The boy was excellent at hiding. Vanitas cackled. The crowd chuckled. As Tidus gulped and teetered for a nonexistent wall, an idea popped into Sora's head. He checked his knees and steeled himself, glancing around him with bitten lip.

"N-ne-next u-up i-is, Irma, oh, no, Irga Sora- s-sandal," Tidus swallowed.

"Oh, Sora!" Vanitas moaned in a loud, high-pitched voice. Tidus whimpered and sniffed back tears. Before he could finish Sora's name, the brunette wrenched the mic from his hand and chirped in a fishy voice, "Irga Velvetjaws, ready to make waves!"

The crowd gasped as they peered through the wings for Sora. With a smug grin he sauntered out with his hands on his hips, opening his mouth and winking suggestively at the audience. The crowd forgot Tidus and jumped up, screeching and howling at Sora's transformation from last year. His black bralette and half skirt shimmered like stars in the night sky as he twirled towards the center of the stage. For a moment he looked up and took a deep breath. Then, he curved his heel inward.

With a loud cry he slammed belly first against the stage lip, making the audience "ooh," and wince. Tidus snapped out of his daze and yelped in fright. Sora propped himself up on his palm and asked Tidus to help him up. Tidus stuttered.

"Just help me, numb nut!" Sora snarled, heaving himself up on his hands and knees. The crowd cooed and giggled as Sora's ass wiggled through the air. Tidus trundled over and grabbed Sora from behind, heaving backwards as Sora attempted staggering to his feet. When Tidus wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and tried thrusting him onto his little hips, Sora let out a loud peal of laughter and put his hand dramatically over his mouth. When he saw the microphone was in range, he grabbed it.

"Tilda!" he giggled. "I know I said I ride huge waves, but where do you fit it all in that little skirt?"

Tidus gaped in shock. Then, with a giggle he mumbled that he packed it in his wig. As he fluffed up the massive blond poof the crowd burst with laughter. Tidus' cheeks grew pink. As Sora rose to standing, he squeezed Tidus' hand. Tidus grinned and gave a firm nod. Then, transformed, he sauntered to the side of the audience lip and fanned himself.

"I think I just caught a falling star, everyone!" he tittered with a luxuriant roll of his eyes. The crowd laughed and clapped. As Sora sauntered back from the stage, Tidus called for him to be careful.

"Don't go any closer to the ground, dahling," he insisted, "the earth does not deserve you! You are a creature of the sky! Fly away, dahling!"

"Speaking of creatures of the sky," called Yuna, "Our next walk is butch kings and queens, and our first contestant is, Claudette Fondacox!"

Cloud muttered curses under his breath as he sucked in his stomach and waddled out. If it was possible to go any crazier, the crowd did it. People were jumping up and down in seats. Girls cried. Boys cried. The faculty struggled to keep flies from buzzing into their mouths. When Cloud passed Tidus he tripped on the mic chord and clapped his hand on the younger boy's shoulder to steady himself. Tidus yelped and slapped his hand away.

"Storm and strife, dahlings! Storm and strife!" he wailed, "This storm is striving to take me down with it!"

Cloud rolled his eyes, blushed, and wobbled as he hit center stage.

"Be strong, dahling!" Tidus warned. "No death drops till the next walk!"

Sora beamed from behind the curtain. The Tidus that had dominated the drag show callbacks had returned in full glory, shimmying back and forth in full command of the stage. He held the crowd in the palm of his hands. Sora patted at the pride growing in his chest and examined his knees with a sigh. Miraculously, his tights had held up just fine. Shiki readjusted his costume.

"I know you didn't mean to fall, Sora," she chuckled, "but the crowd sure latched onto Tidus after it happened."

"That's funny," murmured Sora with a private grin. The next walk- twister- involved realness with a twist. Each king and queen strutted down the center of the runway and returned behind the curtain voguing. Sora cracked his knuckles when it came his turn and shot Ari a competitive smirk. Ari squared his shoulders in reply and grinned, taking him on. Then Sora walked out. The crowd roared and reached for his heels as he sauntered to the stage thrust edge. When he got there, he posed. Then, he twirled and did a death drop, flinging his right leg straight into the air upon contact with the ground. The audience exploded. Sora rose from the ground as if a string was pulling him from the center of his waist, curling his leg around his body and spinning to squatting. When he was ready, he vogued back to the stage center as low as he could, spinning to standing when he crossed the center threshold. His walk ended with a wink. Then he was behind the curtain again, and Ari was replacing him on stage. The crowd boomed when he walked out. Sora grimaced, wondering who they liked better. When he searched around for Joshua so they could prepare for the lip sync, Mulan nearly tripped him over running past. She was whispering something about towels and a bucket into her headset. When Sora peered near the stage door, he noticed Joshua bent over a trashcan. His body clenched and his head fell forward every few moments. When Sora realized what he was doing, his shoulders sagged. The sound of vomiting assailed his ears the closer he got. Before he took another step, Mulan yelped for him to freeze. Sora did. When he looked down, he grimaced. A small pool of vomit shone up at him from the waxed wooden floor.

"I'm sorry," Joshua wailed, cutting off to barf again. Sora stepped around the puddle and tiptoed towards him with clenched fists and a forced smile.

"Joshua?" he asked, reaching out to touch Joshua's back. When Joshua retched again, Sora held back his hair. Joshua gasped for breath and sobbed, sinking against the trashcan as his arms fell flat at his sides.

"I think I've caught something," he groaned. "I hate being sick. Seeing vomit makes me vomit. And, urgh," then he vomited again. It just kept coming out of him. Sora had no idea how he had that much stuff in his stomach to begin with. Revolting, but impressive.

"Do you think you'll be good to go by the time our lip sync comes up?" Sora implored, kneading the back of Joshua's neck with his hand. Joshua cried harder and said he could barely stand. Sora cursed in his head and glanced towards Ari, who mopped his forehead and mumbled through his song's lyrics as Shiki reapplied contour and changed him into a white lace leotard. Sora's lip sync costume, hand made by Shiki, laid forlorn at the back of the room. He bit his lip. Tidus announced Belle and Marceline's lip sync. After that was Cloud. Then Ari. Then Sora and Joshua.

"I feel great after I vomit!" chirped Sora. "I'm good to go, like, five minutes after I'm done. You'll be right as rain in no time!"

Joshua barfed again. Sora's smile faltered. He chanced another stare at Ari. Ari stared back and grinned. Sora seethed. Joshua sobbed harder and squeezed Sora's hand. His once beautiful face was pudgy with stained makeup, tears, and globs of snot and sweat.

"I've r-ruined every-everything," he wailed. Sora sighed and wrapped his arms around him, kissing and rubbing his neck. Joshua cried and retched again. Then he cried some more. When the staff found a bucket for him, he sat at the back of the theatre leaned against Sora's chest. Every once in a while he dry heaved. When he finished, he fell asleep in Sora's lap. Sora watched as Ari was called out for his lip sync. For a moment, all was silent. Then, the beginning, yelping sounds of "Formation," blared across the speakers. The minute Deyoncé's rasping voice whispered through, the crowd rolled and rumbled into a rising chorus of howls. Each roll punctuated Ari's dance moves. On, _"my daddy Alabama, mama Louisiana,"_ the clap of the audience's hands and the beat of their feet nearly drowned out the music. On the beat drop in _"I like my baby heir with baby hair,"_ the crowd threatened to tear the theatre down. Sora scowled in irritation at the animal like sounds coming from their throats, wondering how on earth he could top it. Then he realized in horror, that there was nothing he could do. He was up next, and he had nothing. As he stared towards the opposite wall, he noticed Coco running towards him pouring sweat.

"Sora!" she wailed, her clipboard clung tightly to her chest. "Is Joshua too sick to perform?"

Joshua groaned and grabbed for the bucket in his sleep. When he dry heaved into it and spit mucus afterwards, Coco whimpered and raked her hands through her purple striped blonde hair. As Ari's song reached its climax, Sora sighed in dejection. Maybe it was better that he was not performing "Side to Side." It had never been his choice to begin with. Ari lived and breathed for Deyoncé. Sora knew nothing about Arianna Grande or Nicki Minaj. Beside him Coco whimpered. "Formation," ended to thunderous applause. Ari blustered backstage as if he had just been declared king of the universe.

"Fucking living for me!" he panted, padding around his blushing neck with a chuckle. As everyone rushed to congratulate him, Sora pursed his lips.

"And next up, Irga Velvetjaws and Josie Pussycat-"

"Someone warn him to shut up!" Coco hissed as Tidus railed on about the next song. Mulan popped her head through the curtains. There was silence. Tidus whispered back. Blurted a nervous giggle.

"W-well, I guess, technical difficulties, dahlings, because what's not dramatic, is a drag!"

The crowd chuckled in anticipation. Coco rushed to Mulan and talked amidst frantic whispers. The stage door slammed open and Neku thundered in from the sound booth, demanding to know what was going on and why no one was communicating with him. Sora looked down at his black knee high boots and half skirt and blinked. Then, straightening up, he slipped Joshua to the side and stood. When he unzipped his boots and took them off, he asked Mulan where she had put the shoes he brought with him. She ran for them without responding. Sora asked Shiki to help him take the half skirt off his briefs. When he was down to his tights and bralette, he wrenched the beige silk from his legs and replaced them with Yuna's friend's black silk stockings. Shiki helped him back into the sparkling star briefs. Then he clipped on Quistis' shoes.

"Sora, do you have any other song you could sing?" pleaded Coco. Sora nodded, shaking himself off to stop himself from chickening out.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "It's- it's "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys."

"Do you have it on your iPod?" asked Neku. "I could play it from there."

Sora nodded, rummaging through the shoebox Mulan had brought him for Roxas' mp3 player. When he found it, he placed it in Neku's hands. The boy disappeared before he could catch a breath. Outside the audience chanted "Sora" and booed in a rising climb. Sora gulped and pressed his hand to the back of his neck. The skin beat as if it had its own heart. As Mulan resumed her place at the curtain side with her binder, she whispered for Sora to go wherever he wanted. Sora nodded and walked towards center stage behind the curtain. He pushed his chest out and laid his chin against it. Then he closed his eyes.

"I'll snap when Neku hits play," Mulan whispered. Sora nodded. Outside, Tidus announced his name.

"It looks like Irga's fall from grace has continued to startling new lows, dahlings," he cried. "First she eats sweet stage dust, then she loses her lip sync partner, and now, desperate and undone, she mounts the stage solo, falling again, with Alicia Keys."

Sora thought he heard a sharp inhale in the audience. Twitters and murmurs of confusion filtered towards him. He stilled his pounding heart. Then, he did what he had been doing to feel sexy for every session with Yuna and dance alone in the black box. He pretended he was Roxas.

The curtains rose. Sora let his closed eyes adjust to the blinding light. He set his hand to the back of his neck and pulled down, lolling his head to the side with eyes still closed. Mulan's thumb and middle finger snapped.

 _"I keep on fallin', in…. and out of love… with you."_

As the piano started, Sora swayed from side to side, raising his glance past the oppressive lights to the endless black overhead.

 _"Sometimes I love you… sometimes you make me blue… Sometimes I feel good…"_

On 'good,' Sora smiled and wrapped his hands around his body, drawing his fingers down and letting them drift on the soft warmth of his upper thighs. Then his brows furrowed, his eyes shut, and his head curled in again.

 _"At times I feel used… Loving you darling, makes me so confused…"_

As the music swelled Sora sucked in a deep breath, opened his eyes, and did a sexy walk down the center of the stage that made the audience wail in approval.

 _"I keep on fallin', in and out, of love, with you, I never, loved someone, the way that I, love you. Oh, oh, aaaahhhhhhh."_

On Alicia's rising cry, Sora raised his head and slunk down to his hands and knees, crawling forward with his shoulders and tailbone pressed to the ceiling while the center of his spine dug towards the floor.

 _"I never felt this way… How do you give me so much pleasure, and cause me so much pain?"_

On "pleasure," Sora dug in his palms and dipped his nose and lips towards the floor. When he looked at the audience again, he nearly froze. Hundreds of glassy eyes stared straight at him. His heart twirled and bit at his chest. His lungs burned. He sucked in a deep breath and rose to his knees.

 _"Cause when I think, I'm taking more than would a fool, I start fallin', back in love with you-ooo."_

Sora pursed his lips and slid off the edge of the stage, walking past the feet of the front row audience members as his hands ghosted from his thighs to the ponytail over his head. Their howls rose higher and higher until he could barely hear his music. The audience clapped to the beat of the returning chorus as Sora singled different members out, squatting down and floating his tailbone to standing by one of the senior girls. She gasped as the underside of his buttocks drifted along the inside of her calf. When Sora rose to standing, he arched his back and puffed his chest out further, inviting. When the chorus descended to a repetition of the word "falling," Sora sailed to another audience member and slammed his foot up on the armrest so that his knee hovered over the boy's head and his inner thigh faced the boy's chest. When he realized the boy was Nimo, he stuck his middle finger up between his legs and rolled his hips towards him. The audience went wild. He heard a familiar cackle coo his name. Sora's lip curled up and his nostrils flared. He stared towards Vanitas with an expression of disgust. The boy leaned back with his hips thrust forward and his legs splayed apart, patting his thighs and winking at the people around him with glee as he whispered to them. Sora sucked in a deep breath and sauntered towards him with a death glare. Vanitas' golden eyes watched him as he advanced. When he slipped between Vanitas' legs, he took the boy's raven black hair in his hand and stroked it. Vanitas' eyes closed. When they opened, Sora leaned back and let his hand fall away, making sure his hips stayed as close to Vanitas as possible. The further he backed away, the further Vanitas leaned forward. Then, as Sora dropped to his knees, Vanitas tumbled out of his seat to the ground. The surrounding students roared with laughter. When Vanitas glared at Sora, Sora pierced him with a glance of hatred and clapped his bronze cheek hard. Vanitas winced and gasped. Sora let his hand fall away and turned his backside to Vanitas, raising it to standing right in front of his face. When he straightened, the chorus began again.

 _"I keep on fallin', in and out, of love, with you, I never, loved someone, the way that I, love you."_

As the chorus continued, Sora's inhibitions melted away. He strolled to the back of the theatre and interacted with different people as he passed. Winking, grinding, pressing his chest towards them, furrowing his brows and setting a hand against theirs. When he reached Naminé, he gulped. Then he closed his eyes and blew her a kiss, trying with all his might to imagine kissing her in person. As he returned to the stage for the final refrain, a strange gulp emanated to his right. When he turned, he blinked in shock.

Roxas was staring up at him with an expression that Sora could only describe as terror. A pang of guilt sliced through the brunette as he looked at him. Roxas' hands trembled against his seat. Axel sat beside him, shooting Sora a murderous glance. His right palm clasped Roxas' left, as if squeezing that one limb would keep Roxas from falling apart altogether. Sora bit his lip. Then, he bent down and kissed Roxas' free hand. Roxas let out an almost noiseless whimper. Sora trailed his lip a fraction from Roxas' skin until he reached the boy's face. Roxas' jaw was clenched within an inch of its life. Sora beamed. Roxas cracked a plastic smile.

Then, a saxophone and violin rose through the synthetic beat. The song was almost over. Sora turned and mounted the stage again. The song finished the moment he slipped behind the curtains. For a moment there was deafening silence. Then, the audience blistered and gushed with applause so thunderous Sora could hear it ringing in his ears. The applause remained so deafening that nobody heard Tidus when he announced the next lip sync duo. As Sora listened to his valiant effort to reign in the crowd, he passed Ari and gave him a smug pat on the shoulder. Then he popped back to Shiki to put on his Larxene costume for the Snatch Game. As the crowd died down, Tidus announced an intermission while their favorite segment was set up. Then, the entire LGBTQ club trundled behind the back curtain and pushed forward the two bleachers and foldout tables. By the time everyone was in costume and the Snatch Game was set up, Coco dashed from behind the closed front curtain and told everyone to take everything down. When everyone gasped and asked why, her lip trembled.

"I-I've just had a note from Eraqus," she whispered. "He thinks the show is getting out of hand. Said Sora's performance was too suggestive."

"What?" snapped Sora in disbelief. Coco shrugged and gulped back tears.

"He-he said we couldn't do the Snatch Game," she whimpered, padding at her shimmering cheeks. The class eyed her in horror. As the crowd clapped and rallied up a chant of "snatch, snatch, snatch," another familiar face burst through the stage door and trudged towards them. When Sora recognized who it was, he charged over and tackled the man by his coat sleeves.

"Sora, I've got important business," Reno warned in a voice much colder than usual. Sora ignored it and latched on harder.

"Don't let that geezer of a headmaster ruin the whole show!" he hissed, pleading with his eyes for Reno to look at him. When Reno did, Sora beamed and pressed closer. Reno blushed and glanced around in discomfort.

"If it's my fault, kick me out," Sora hissed. "I did the suggestive dance, I should be kicked out, but you can't ruin the whole show! Not after what you did to Hacky!"

"Tacky?" blurted Coco in confusion. Reno ignored her and intoned that Sora was stepping out of line. When Marceline cried out that Reno and the headmaster were trying to bring the LGBTQ club down on purpose and the rest of the club chimed in in indignation, Reno held up his palm and stamped his foot.

"Eraqus didn't get the idea to stop the show!" the man bellowed. "Vanitas and Xehanort's grand baby complained!"

Sora's mouth fell open in shock. His face contorted with rage.

"Those bitches!" he barked, stamping his six inch heeled foot. Before he could explode, Reno clamped his hand around the boy's mouth and hissed for him to shut up.

"You think I don't know what this is, Sora?" he whispered. "Petty rivalries make me sick, too."

Sora wrenched himself from Reno's grip and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"It's not just them, Reno," he warbled. "It's an excuse for Eraqus to mow us all over. If we stop the show, LGBTQ tanks!"

"LGBTQ is going to tank if you don't stop the show, Sora!" Reno boomed. Sora clung to him again, this time with tears in his eyes.

"Please, Reno!" he begged. "Don't you have any executive say? This is so important! There are so many queer kids at this school. Kids who are made fun of and feel like they can't be real heroes because they're gay or bi or... in... including me. Do you have a heart at all? Do you care about me at all?

The rest of LGBTQ stared at Sora with mouths wide open. Coco held back tears. Whether they were tears of joy or anxiety, it was hard to tell. Sora attempted ignoring it. Reno blinked down at him with raised brows. When Sora stuck out his bottom lip and opened his eyes wider, Reno snorted and rubbed his hands to his temple. Finally, he pursed his lips, sighed, and muttered that he would let them continue the show on one condition. When Sora asked what it was, Reno shot him a forbidding glance.

"If any one of you impersonates Eraqus, Yen Sid, Xehanort, Xemnas, or myself, you're done."

"But, but that's our whole roster!" wailed Coco a few feet behind. Reno clapped his hands and beamed her a fake smile.

"Figure it out!" he cooed. Then he slammed through the stage door and was gone. Sora turned towards the rest of the club and set his shaking hands on his hips. They stared at him as if he had a new face. Coco and Elsa sniffed. Marceline and Ari beamed. Belle's, Kairi's, and Yuna's eyes twinkled. Tidus ogled. Sora shrugged. For a moment the entire LGBTQ team stood silent and dumbfounded. Then, they set their jaws and glanced towards one another.

"We've got to make this work," Coco said. "In the face of oppression."

"How are we going to make fun of those fuckers if we can't snatch them?" swore Marceline.

"We come up with new people," Elsa whispered. On her command, everyone huddled together and discussed what materials they had for last minute transformations. Yuna ran out to distract the audience while Shiki, Selphie, Kairi, and Elsa got out their makeup and started working with feverish strokes. Ten minutes into a spirited acapella medley of her top hits, Yuna was asked to re announce the Snatch Game. With a beam she announced that despite scheduling conflicts, the show would resume. The audience roared in approval. Mulan opened the curtain as everyone present settled down.

"Welcome to the Snatch Game!" Yuna announced. "Where our contestants attempt to match our celebrity guest judge's answers to fill in the blank questions! Joining us today will be… Yuffie Kisaragi, and…" when the crowd around Vanitas boomed for him to go up, Yuna winced and tried passing to someone else. When Reno indicated for her to pick him, Yuna called him up. His posse roared approval.

"Yuffie Kisaragi and Vanitas Irino," Yuna said flatly. Then she beamed towards the audience. "Are you ready to meet our stars?" The audience roared.

"Now this year we have several stand-ins, as a few of our originally planned contestants couldn't make it. Coco, who are you standing in for?"

"Oh, I'm not standing in for anyone," chirped Ari. The audience snorted when his voice cracked. "I'm just filling out the panel."

"Larxene, how about you?"

Tidus rolled his eyes and scoffed, holding up what looked like a torn off ticket. "I drew this thing from a hat saying if I came here I'd get a free key blade. So where is it?"

"Wrong hat, lamebrain," sighed Kairi as Axel.

"You can stick your hand in my hat any day," Marceline announced with a wink, padding around the paper eye patch she had wrapped around her head with string. As Yuna chuckled, she asked how Xigbar lost his eye in the first place.

"I still have my eye, I'm just resting it after it the shock of seeing Xemnas being kind to a student once," Marceline shook her head and gave a feigned quiver. "Still gives me shivers sometimes. Plus, I get a closer parking space."

"Marluxia! You're back again!" gasped Yuna. She set her hand on her hip. "I've always wondered why you left in the first place."

"I trimmed a student's flower," responded Selphie. The audience gasped and screeched as they flew their hands over their mouths. Just as Reno stood, Selphie added, "It's a faculty favorite activity! I was singled out!"

"Nah, Lush, you were caught in the act," snapped Kairi in return. When Yuna asked where Reno had gone, Kairi groaned and said she did not have a clue.

"He may be here in ten minutes, he may not come at all," she sighed. "The only thing Reno is punctual for are advisory meetings with potential princesses of heart."

Reno stood in indignation as the audience screeched and fell over themselves. Kairi glanced towards him and smirked as Yuna moved on.

"Our next guest is our newest faculty member, S. D. Ansem!"

Elsa took out a Styrofoam cutout of Riku's key blade and set it with care in front of her. The ice princess was nervous on stage to begin with. When she stuttered through a hello, Yuna asked how she got the key blade in the first place.

"Well, I'm the kind of guy that says yes to fate," Elsa tried. "So when I met the kid who owned this key blade in the outer world, DiZ tied him up in his turban and we, uh... "borrowed" his stuff."

"DiZ, is this true?" Yuna gasped. Belle answered in a muffled bark from Elsa's side. She had wrapped her face completely in the old red blanket Sora had used for Rosso last year. The audience cackled.

"As the saying goes," Belle snapped after she extricated her mouth from the bottom of the cloth. "Tread not near those who wrap you in turbans and steal your soul weapon."

"But the real kicker here, is, where is Eraqus?" asked Yuna. "Headmaster, guide, absent when you need him most…"

Sora took his cue and entered the stage with a large pole strung along his back connected to two old scrims that dragged behind him like broken wings. A mop acted as his staff. When the audience caught sight of him, they gasped and laughed. Yuna clapped.

"What an honor!" she said. "It appears the goddess Minerva has made an appearance on the Snatch Game."

Sora drifted forward and sat down beside Elsa, whacking Belle with his broken wings so they sagged from his back in tired arches. As Belle recovered her red blanket, Yuna asked whom Sora was filling in for.

"I am filling in for the great and powerful Eraqus," worded Sora in a dreamy way. "Second only to me in power and goodness."

"Is your snatch game good?" asked Yuna.

"My snatch is strong," murmured Sora.

"Is it flexible?"

"As flexible as the faculty's morality- er advising hours," Sora continued. The audience roared in approval. As Sora opened his mouth to say something else, Vanitas snorted and pressed his lips towards the microphone given to him.

"Is this a game or an excuse to sound off school rumors?" he asked. The crowd went quiet. All at the snatch table blinked in shock. Sora wetted his lips. Then he let out a chuckle and fixed Vanitas with a narrow eyed glance.

"You should know, my disciple," he worded. "As you make up most of the rumors yourself."

The audience went wild. Vanitas' mouth gaped open. He stood in fury and pointed to Sora, saying that he was a liar. Sora held his hands up and shot Vanitas a feigned, knowing glance.

"Minerva sees all, young man," he cooed. "Rest not on the laurels of viciousness. Rise up, my friend, and attempt honest goodness."

"Can I ask a question, then?" asked Vanitas. Before anyone could stop him, he said, "Say there's this junior brunette I know who's eye fucked every guy at school, dressed as a woman to go to a village event, and repeatedly asked professors inappropriate questions. Say he bribes a kid forbidden from intimate contact with students into 'kissing lessons,' spreads it around the student body, and then says it's "just a rumor" when the faculty pulls him up about it. He's telling me none of this is true, but when I ask him how it all started, he whimpers like a cat in heat and goes dumb as a post. So what's the truth, Minerva? I don't want to report him for spreading lies, but should I do it, mother?" he added in a simpering, hands-clasped-together plea.

Sora stared at him in gob smacked horror. He glanced into the audience. Glanced over Axel. Nimo, smirking. Eraqus, livid. Naminé. Roxas. When he settled on Roxas, his fists clenched. Roxas stared without expression. Sora gulped. Then, closing his eyes and putting on his best Minerva impersonation, he held up his right hand.

"Oh my child, the blessing of truth eludes you," he murmured. The audience chuckled. "To begin with, I have never made love to a man with my eyes, but since you seem to be an expert on the subject, I will trust your judgement..." before Vanitas could interject, Sora continued, "and as for the inappropriate questions he asks the professors, I don't see how you would know about them unless you talked to said professors yourself, which is doubtful judging by the fact that Organization XIII's Code of Conduct bans teachers from divulging sensitive information to students..." as Sora sent a pointed glance to the members of Organization XIII in the audience and the students surrounding them snickered with glee, he continued, "But the clothing choice of your brunette is irrelevant, because clothing and sexuality are separate entities." Sora beamed to his fellow LGBTQ club members and grinned.

"Some people dress up in ragged black jeans, combat boots, and thin shirts to show off the muscles they have worked so hard to make strong," he explained, cocking his head elaborately towards Vanitas. "They scream and rail whenever they see a reflection of what they try so hard to hide within themselves. But it doesn't stop them from loving the same sex. Others,"he continued with a long sigh, realizing that the bottom of his eyelids were growing hot, "l-like your dishonest brunette... h-hide behind naivety. A wise queen once whispered that people who lie wish their lies were true. W-well, p-perhaps this boy _lied_ about taking k-kissing lessons from his fellow student because, because he doesn't know how else to tell the other… how he truly feels."

"So this kid is a homo?" demanded Vanitas. Sora stared at him. He stared at the audience. At Naminé. At Roxas. His legs hammered together. His hands vibrated across the table. His teeth chattered. He felt like he was going to throw up. He gulped. Then, with a beam, he continued, "If I know the brunette of which you speak, he is bisexual."

A round of snickers and gasps filtered through the audience. Vanitas scoffed and leaned towards Sora with twinkling eyes. Before he could sneer, Sora held his hand up for silence.

"We all find who we are at different paces and in different ways. Some of us still don't know our brain from our coccyx," he added, emphasizing the "coc" while eyeing Vanitas with a piercing glance. "People lie out of fear. All we can do to fix this is to provide mercy and accept all for who they are, without hurting our fellows in the process."

"That reminds me of a student, who," gulped Tidus as Larxene, "who is into girls older than him but is too shy to talk to them."

"That's got nothing on my student," Marceline as Xigbar guffawed. "She's gay as a box of balloons and she still can't tell the girl back home she likes her."

"My student loves a possessive, marginally abusive animal!" blurted Belle. When the audience screeched and gasped, she yelped and amended, "It's a guy back home! He, he likes reading! I-It's complicated!" After slamming her face into her palm, there was a short bout of silence. Then Ari as Coco stood.

"I know a student who has lost his prostate. Can he have another one, Minerva? It fell and he can't get it up."

The audience screeched and howled. All of a sudden, Elsa, the quietest member in the group, jumped up, wrenched the microphone from the end of the table and cleared her throat.

"I have a student who knew she was a lesbian from the time she could cast snowflakes from her hands," she breathed. Sora thought he heard Axel chuckle. "I wish she'd tell everyone. It's kind of obvious."

More silence. Then, the LGBTQ club erupted with applause and dashed over to hug her. The audience roared in approval. Roxas and Naminé were some of the first to stand. Yuffie jumped up and tackled Sora to the ground. Vanitas scowled and sat back with his arms over his chest in disgust. When the time passed for the Snatch Game to continue, the panel closed and the show ended with two more lip-syncs. When Elsa came out and passed a bucket around for donations, it filled within ten minutes. Everyone behind the curtain got out of costume as the Ru Daul theme blared across the speakers. Sora stared at his feet as he waited in line for makeup remover, running over his love confession to Naminé in his head.

 _"Hello, Naminé. What a fine night. Yes, I am bisexual. Would you like to go to the summit with me so I can tell you that I love you?"_

Sora slapped his hand to his sweating face and groaned. Someone slipped through the curtain behind him and set a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, he was staring at Reno. The man gave him a narrow, inquiring glance. Sora raised his brow in challenge. Reno snorted and patted Sora on the back.

"That was brave, kiddo," he sighed. Sora shrugged. "Guess there's no taking it back, now."

"Why would you want to?" asked Reno. Sora shrugged again. After a moment's thought he asked if Reno thought he would lose friends.

"Not the ones who matter," Reno murmured. As he spoke, Tidus slinked towards Sora with his hands clutched like a shield in front of him. His eyes shone wide and glassy. Sora furrowed his brows as he watched him advance. When Tidus reached him, he set his arms down and pursed his lips. He set his jaw. He clenched his fists.

"Sora?" he asked. Sora nodded. Tidus swallowed a big gust of air. "Are you, do you really like guys?"

Reno snorted and backed just far enough away that he could still hear what they said. Sora closed his eyes and said that yes, he liked guys. Tidus swallowed again and gave a feverish nod.

"How does it feel?" he asked. Sora blinked and blushed. When Tidus goaded him on with a sniffly nod, he opened his mouth and furrowed his brows.

"I, it just, well," he started, scratching his face. "You like the feel of their touch, and you want them to, to kiss you, and you like looking at their chests, and legs, and… you like picturing going out with them, and you feel confused…"

Before he could continue, Tidus lunged and wrapped his arms around Sora's waist. When Sora gasped in surprise, Tidus sobbed.

"I, I understand better, Sora," he whimpered. "I- I don't really get it, but I think I, I think I understand."

Sora's heart flipped. He wrapped his hands around Tidus' shoulder and let out a loud peal of laughter. When he backed Tidus away and asked if they were still friends, Tidus nodded and hugged him again. Finally, it came Sora's turn for makeup removal. When he found he sat before Kairi, he binked and said hello. Kairi said hello back. As she set a damp towel across his face, she set her hand on his knee and said she was proud of him. When Sora peeped through the towel to look at her, she winked.

"What you said was beautiful," she whispered. "I saw a smart, sexy celestial being out there."

"Really?" Sora murmured. Kairi nodded. Her teeth shone white as she smiled. As Sora bathed in her glow, he pursed his lips.

"You have smile lines," he noticed aloud. Kairi gasped and set her hands to her cheeks in horror.

"I do?" she snapped. When she tried rubbing them out, Sora yelped and took hold of her face.

"No!" he gasped. "I- I think they're pretty."

Kairi's eyes twinkled under the stage lights as she looked at him. When her face crinkled with a smile again, she laughed. Sora laughed, too. Then he took a deep breath and told Kairi he wanted to ask Naminé out. Kairi blinked in surprise and furrowed her brows, muttering that she was leaving the theatre with Ari.

"Oh, nuggets! Is she gone?" gasped Sora, wrenching himself from his seat to look around. Naminé and Ari were gathering their bags at the back of the room; Naminé picking stray hairs from Ari's freshly washed face. Sora gaped and charged towards them, ignoring Kairi's calls to wait. When he reached Naminé's side and grabbed her by the arm, she yelped and glanced up at him in curiosity.

"Naminé," he breathed, picking at the single standing false lash clinging to his left eye. After rubbing, his hand turned black with eye shadow. "I have to talk to you."

"About what, Sora?" Naminé murmured. Ari stood close. Sora gritted his teeth.

"How, how did you like my lip sync?" he asked. Naminé beamed and said he stole the show.

"Hey!" called Ari in dejection. Naminé shrugged and turned back to Sora. When she did, he sucked in and pecked her on the lips. Ari jumped up. Naminé flew back. She set her hand to her mouth in shock. Then she looked into Sora's eyes. Rested her palm over her heart.

"Sora?" she started. Sora melted when she said his name.

"Naminé," he gulped. "I've loved you from the moment I first met you. I've been too scared to tell you. Will you- will you accept my feelings?"

Naminé stared at him in what seemed like terror. She glanced from Sora to Ari with bitten lip, muttering that she did accept Sora's feelings. But when Sora tried kissing her again, she pushed him away. He backed off like a shrunken flame, eyes wide with confusion. Naminé gave him an apologetic glance.

"Oh, Sora," she murmured. "I did like you once. But ever since I met Ari… I'm sorry."

"What?" gasped Ari in surprise, glancing towards her with mouth hanging wide. "You- me?" He squeaked. Naminé nodded with a nervous, downturned smile. Ari stared at her. "Even though," he started, his lip quivering with tears, "even with all, with…" he could not finish. Naminé raised her hands to his face and stroked around his chin, planting it with a gentle kiss that made him whimper. As he began to sob, Sora clenched his hands into fists and stuttered in shock. Every sound and touch Naminé and Ari made stirred something that had been bubbling through him the entire evening.

"Well," he rose his voice, "Is it- is it because I'm bi?"

"No, Sora, not at all," Naminé insisted, clasping his hands in her own. "I love you just the way you are. I started liking Ari before I found out you were bi."

"Really?" Sora gasped with falling shoulders. "W-why? How?"

"Sora!" Naminé breathed in disbelief. "I don't know why I fall in love with people, I just do! Why did you start liking me?"

"Well, that's easy!" Sora blubbered, leaning as close to her as he could. "You're kind, and smart, and talented, and beautiful- and you're completely yourself! No one else!"

"That's exactly why I fell in love with Ari." Naminé intoned. When Sora got closer, Ari settled a hand on her shoulder. "Pushy's not a good look for you, Sora," he sniffled valiantly. "Naminé doesn't have to explain herself to anyone."

"But, Naminé," Sora insisted, "Ari's just, he's not-"

"He's what, Sora?" Naminé demanded with raised brows. Sora scowled and rolled his eyes, pointing to Ari but incapable of saying it. The boy looked at him like a deer in headlights. Sora's lip curled up. Something ugly had reared inside him. Ten minutes ago he had implied to an audience of over a five hundred that Vanitas did not know his brain from his dick. He was beginning to think the same thing about himself.

"But, he, he told me he can't love physically!" he blurted on like a seeker missile. "I- I respond really well to kissing!" Cinching his jaw shut was the only thing that stopped him from firing out Roxas' name next. As he settled his hands to his hips in expectation, Naminé sucked in a deep breath. Ari's mouth hung open. Reno stared towards Sora from the shadow of the stage door with a beady glance.

"I don't care about sex," murmured Naminé. "I like Ari for Ari."

"Really?" whimpered Ari. Riku's copied face contorted with tears. Naminé reached for his hand. Sora grimaced.

"But he's just, look at him!" he barked, pointing to Ari's soiled cheeks.

"What about it, Sora?" Naminé snapped, becoming angry. Sora whined and stomped his heel.

"He's just, his face, his body," he started.

"Sora," Reno warned. "Are you really going to cross this line? If you say what I think you're trying to say, you'll force me to take executive action."

"Executive action?" barked Ari in horror. "You bailed me out this summer! What the fuck?"

"I like keeping my cards under the table," Reno murmured with a cool shrug. Sora begged Naminé with his eyes. She looked at him in disgust. Ari puffed his chest up and down beside her. Then, snapping, he tore off his shirt and slammed it to the ground. Reno blinked in surprise. Ari advanced and beat his chest.

"You know what, Irga Velvet _bitch?_ I'll finish the death sentence for you. Because I don't give a shit what happens to me anymore," he warbled. "I don't care if I die! I can't live like this anymore! I'm tired of being a fake!"

"Ari, no!" Naminé gasped, clamping her hands around his shoulders as he shot towards Sora. The higher his volume rose, the more heads turned his way. People started peeking in through the stage door. Most of his rant proved emotional gibberish. But every few moments the replica would veer a breath away from revealing himself. At first Sora and Naminé tried calming him down together. But when Sora grew angry and frightened that Ari had worked himself to insanity, he did the only thing he could think of.

He punched him in the face.

Naminé screamed as the two boys tumbled to the floor. Sora slapped Ari. Ari pulled Sora's wig. Sora dug his heels into Ari's ankle. Ari tore off Sora's bralette. Sora yelped and pulled Ari's hair. By the time they had shed most of their clothes and nails, they fell to pressing and pulling away from each other in an almost lover like embrace. When Ari got the better and rolled Sora onto his stomach, he pinned the brunette by the legs and arms and watched panting as he struggled and screeched beneath his grip.

"After I promised to help you have a prostate orgasm!" Ari thundered through heaving breaths. "You're just a pretty bitch, Sora!"

"Get the fuck off me!" Sora squealed, shimmying his backside into the air in an attempt to prop himself up on his knees. When he brushed against Ari's lower stomach, Ari laid on top of him so he could not move at all. For a few minutes Sora struggled and cried. Just as he admitted defeat, the stage door burst open and Roxas and Axel hurried inside. When Roxas saw Ari laid on top of Sora with his arms and legs pinned on either side of him like a starfish, he gasped and yelped. Axel told Ari to get off. Ari nodded and rolled away. Sora struggled to standing, picking the massive wedgie that had formed in his midnight blue briefs and shielding his bare chest with his arms. When he stood before Roxas, he nodded and blushed.

"You look like shit," Axel said flatly. Sora padded around his lip and brought back blood.

"Me and Ari, uh… got into a tussle," he panted.

"Over what?" Roxas intoned, staring towards Ari with a dangerous expression. When Sora insisted that it was nothing, the blond furrowed his brows and nodded. Then he clasped Sora's hands in his own, running his fingers over the wrinkles of Sora's palms. When he looked into Sora's eyes, he gulped. His mouth spread in an odd, crooked grin.

"You used my song," he whispered. Sora nodded, mumbling that Joshua got sick before they could perform "Side to Side."

"I'm glad he got sick," Roxas hissed. Then he laughed in embarrassment. His lip quivered. He coughed and drew in a shuddering breath, shaking his head. "So I guess it was just a happy accident. You picked the first song you could think of?"

Sora shook his head. "No…" he murmured. "I… That's the song that makes me feel sexy."

"You looked strong," Roxas insisted. "You showed them all. Nimoy and Vanitas were reduced to dirt."

"I just imagined I was you," Sora shrugged. "I couldn't have done it otherwise."

Roxas stared at him. Then his hand clamped around Sora's shoulder. His head bent down. His body swayed. He gulped. Started hyperventilating. Axel gasped and rubbed his back, bending near him to ask what was wrong. Sora cupped his hand around Roxas' elbow and tried to look into his eyes.

"I'm going to vomit," Roxas gulped. Axel nodded and ran for a bucket as Roxas clutched at his throat. When he whimpered and staggered to the side, Sora caught him in his arms and held him up, so that his blond head draped over his eye shadow smeared shoulder. As Sora wrapped his arms around Roxas' waist, Roxas clenched his fists and whimpered "no."

"I'll throw up down," he gulped, "your back."

"Vomit all over me," Sora said. Roxas breathed in and out, stuttering that he had never felt like this in his life. Sora rubbed his back in circles, up and down his spine in wide arcs. When Roxas stuttered a sob, Sora stopped. He looked towards him. Roxas shook against his shoulder. Then, the boy burst into tears, weeping into the soft of Sora's neck in howling moans. Sora whimpered and clutched him hard, yelping when Roxas lost control of his legs and sank towards the ground. As Sora knelt by Roxas' side, Roxas pressed his hands over his streaming face and curled his head towards his knees, shaking and wailing as if he were entirely alone. Sora blubbered and sniffed. When he cooed Roxas' name the blond wept harder. Sora kissed Roxas on the cheek. Roxas clasped his hand around the back of Sora's head and captured him with his lips, letting Sora hold him as he pulled them towards the floor. When Sora broke away with a gasp and glanced around, Roxas stared at him. His face scrunched into a grimace as he turned away.

"Roxas, I'm," Sora started. But Roxas shook his head.

"Don't you realize what you do to me?" he said. Sora gaped. Then stuttered to silence. Roxas punched himself in the arm and curled over again, sobbing louder. When he clutched for Sora's hand, Axel set the bucket in front of him.

"Do you still feel sick, Rox?" he breathed. Roxas gulped mid sob and retched into the pail. Once his stomach emptied he sobbed again, shaking and gulping for air as if he would never stop. When Sora touched him, he cried harder. Axel shoved Sora's hand away and glared.

"Just get out, Sora," he hissed. "Can't you see you're making it worse?"

Sora stuttered in confusion. For a moment he made the mistake of glancing up. A sea of eyes enclosed him on all sides, littered with waves of surprise and disgust. Without changing, he nodded and gathered his bags. The sea backstage watched him as he trudged for the door. When he peeked towards Reno, the man shook his head in disappointment. Sora responded by lowering his gaze and bursting through the exit, down the red carpeted hall past the bathrooms until his black twinkling form was devoured by the night.

~X~

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 **A/N: Mwa ha ha... this is one of those chapters where you want to hug Sora and slap him in the face at the same time... not much else to say except the next chapter is a continuation of this one (yup, the night ain't over yet) and that I think you're going to love or hate it** **... I'm sorry but not sorry... stay tuned... in the meantime, FOLLOW, FAVORITE, and REVIEW!**

 ******UPDATE******

 **For people wondering when the next chapter is going to go up, I have just been swamped with schoolwork because I'm opening a show next week and we're going into tech. T.T So the next chapter won't come until at least midweek or maybe this weekend. I'm so sorry, but there's no such thing as free time for me right now!**


	23. The Summit

**A/N: R12, I am so so sorry for the delayed upload time! (Although I am uploading earlier than I previously thought!)** **This chapter has been a bear and I've just gone into tech for a show I'm in, so my life is crazy!**

 **This chapter marks this fan fiction's change from a T to an M rating. I tried to keep it safe as long as possible. Now there's no turning back.**

 **Warning: Explicit Sexuality.**

* * *

~X~

 ** _Chapter Twenty Three_**

~X~

Sora lowered his gaze and burst through the exit, out from the warm reds, oranges, and yellows of the Teatro's interior into steel cut blues and rippling, inky blacks. As he glanced from the green neon glow of the emergency exit to its eerie wash against the puddles scattered around the cobblestone street beside, he clasped his arms around his shoulders, shut his eyes, and hunkered to his knees. A long groan escaped him. When he heard the twitter and gasp of students passing the Teatro''s front as they decided which club to go to next, he froze and held his breath, hoping the briefs, bruises, and black eyeshadow engulfing his body concealed him enough. Soon the students disappeared. Sora glanced around him for something to slink behind. As his gaze met an alley of overturned trashcans at the Teatro's back, another set of voices wafted towards him from far ahead. Their timbers were deep, cool, and collected. He recognized them almost as soon as their whisper caressed his skin.

"Intriguing night."

"Agreed."

"Sad."

"That, as well."

"How is he?"

"Axel is taking him back. From what I hear, barely able to stand."

"Love is cruel that young."

"How Shakespearean of you."

"Well..."

"True, though. Both are such beautiful boys. Not a surprise they are so drawn to each other..."

"And you thought you'd gone into the wrong bathroom."

"Oh, for gods' sakes..."

The sound of charging and skidding shoes thundered after the muted voices along with a yipping screech. Something like tugging cloth and skin, along with laughter and yelps of indignation, followed.

"What a fucking showwww!" the new voice roared. After receiving no clear objection, it continued, "man, that Sora was smoking. I'm not even joking: definition of jailbait."

"I don't remember asking-"

"What was he like in your class? Make any moves?"

"I am a professor, not a criminal."

"Ah-ha- good one. He's fifteen now, right? When's his birthday? Damn, someone make him join my music class next semester. I'll teach him how to use his fingers..."

"One more word like that and I'll report you."

"You're kidding, right? After all the hot water you guys got into with that replica last summer? Fat chance!"

"Away, villain!"

The new voice yelped in protest and disappeared as if its owner had stormed off. For a moment the pair remaining silenced. Then their voices resumed, so quiet this time that Sora could barely hear them at all, until they, too, were swallowed by the night. Alone, Sora groped with numb hands and feet towards the back alley, shivering from the cold against his spine. Quistis' heels dug into his ankles as the soles of his sneakers hitched against his nipples. Once he passed the trashcans and felt the stone of the Teatro behind his back, he relaxed and shut his eyes. It smelled like rot and piss, but his head was swimming so desperately that he could barely make sense of any of it. When his breathing returned and the sound of twittering mice and rustling trash began to creep along his skin, he scowled and heaved himself up, trading his heels for his runners before stomping off. He used badly paved backstreets until the village outskirts emptied before him, ignoring when an occasional villager from a window, doorway, or street side called out to him. By the time he reached the clearing near the burger joint, his skin and starry briefs were sopping with sweat and the knots in his shoulders had curled within an inch of their life. The smell of meat fat and smoke twisted his empty stomach. He thought he heard the voices of students above, but they could not see him in the darkness by the water's edge. Between the dirt path to the school and Cloud's shortcut, Sora chose the shortcut. Then, encased by thickets of rubber trees and pitcher plants, he marched, avoiding again and again the clearing in the trees leading up to the forecourt's spiraling staircase until his feet met with squelching swamp grass and the river emptied close enough for him to fall in. As he used epiphytes and fallen trunks to hoist himself to higher ground, his ears pricked for the sounds of animals. At this time of night, away from the safety of the village and the academy, darkness loomed so heavy you could hardly see in front of you. Terror clung to Sora's back as he imagined blinking yellow eyes staring at him from holes in the ground, from tree tops, and from the waterside. Visions of jungle cats and the little black feelered creatures in his dream quest, the ones that ate people's hearts, made his chest pound in anticipation. Finally, the sound of the waterfall thundered ahead. The swamp grass switched to slick igneous stone. Sora climbed from one shard to the next with gritted teeth, pressing into the exhaustion pinching his limbs. When the forest emptied behind and he hit a massive column of stone, he jolted in surprise. As he looked around him in confusion and realized where and how lost he was, he groaned and slumped to his knees, knocking his head with dull thumps against his skin. When he was ready, he glanced again up the smooth, louring back of the summit until he could make out the carven apex where Ventus' friends liked to sit.

Streams of water bathed the peak's pale, pockmarked back like strings of pearls. Green tufts of hair jutted from every crevice, soft and cool to the touch. As Sora stroked his fingers over a huddle of moss level to his nose, he trembled with grief. Then, groaning, he fell forward and slacked against the wall, letting the water from the mountain tumble over his cheek and down his chest to the hem of his briefs. Guilt beat through his body in place of his heart. His tuck drifted askew as a budding erection escaped its damp tape and rubbed against the briefs' fabric. Pictures of grappling with Ari, embracing Roxas, kissing Naminé, and listening to the whispers about his body outside the Teatro layered themselves over his eyes like thick gauze until he could feel nothing but sadness and desire. When he swayed back and forth, the growing muscle between his legs filled with blood. He closed his eyes and pressed his body further into the stone, rolling his hips back and forth as his lips trembled from tears. When the impulse to claw at himself until there was no body left overpowered him, he shoved himself away and paced, peeking from the bottom of the summit to its apex. For a few moments he swept up stray pebbles and chucked them forward with a cry, watching them smash or crack against the wall. When that was not enough, he peered up the mountainside again. Then, with gritted teeth, he shoved his heels and clothes deep into his shoulder bag, forced it over his back, flipped his penis so that it pointed up, and began to climb.

The hug of the sparkly briefs on his skin was uncomfortable, but he ignored it and carried on. His hands slipped with sweat and makeup. He wiped tears and snot against his shoulder as he pushed himself up. The summit was so steep he felt like he was scaling a tipping tower. His arms shook as he ascended, groping for weak trunks of wilting rubber trees or stray roots while his feet dug into the pockmarks below. His fingertips blistered and bled. His jaw burned from grinding. The moon and stars beamed down like irons. The stream of the waterfall thundered closer the higher he reached. Bits of water trickled down the rocks lining his side. He eluded the slick moss growing near it for firm stone. Finally, at the height of dusk, his hand hit smooth, carved marble and he sobbed. He clamped both hands over the summit balcony ledge and heaved himself up with a grimace. With straightened arms he lowered his stomach over cool cut sandstone and rolled his feet after him. For a moment he spread himself out and stared at the night sky. Then he glanced around. The lamps had been turned on. Their suspended flames glowed and flickered within their glass orbs. Sora wiped his face with his arm. It came back black. Sora chuckled. Then, wincing at the chafing between his legs, he tore the rest of his clothing away and lied belly down on the grass with a groan. Muscle by muscle he relaxed until he sank into the earth, bidding a final farewell to restraint with a sigh. What started as an exhale turned to a staggered whimper. Then silence. Then a wail. Silence again. The pattern continued until Sora sobbed into the ground, spitting, drooling, and snotting wherever he could lay his head. When the grass before him became disgusting with grease, he heaved himself up and returned to the broken slabs along the summit edge. When the fog of the waterfall and the night air surrounding drifted towards him, he closed his eyes and lifted his arms on either side, letting the wind push him forward and back. He sighed. Inched his toes further. The pulse of the waterfall rumbled through the stones beneath his feet. His body tipped closer to the summit edge. Sucked in a breath.

"Are you going to kill yourself?"

Sora jumped back and snapped around in shock, searching for where the voice had come from. A figure hid in the darkness of the summit archway. Sora gasped. Roxas? He looked smaller. Surprisingly calm. No.

Ventus trudged forward and sat at his side. In embarrassment Sora clamped one hand between his legs and the other over his nipples like a bad copy of one of the statues lining Olympus Coliseum. Ventus' hair brushed against his thigh as he peeped over the edge. Sora gulped. Ventus chucked down a stray twig. Watched it disappear into the water's spray. Then he stood and held his hands on either side of him like Sora had done. When the breeze drifted over his cheeks, he chuckled.

"Pretty epic way to die, not going to lie," he sighed. Then he grimaced. "But the cleanup? Do you really want the world to find you with your head split and your ass spread? Naked? Covered in eye shadow?"

"Uh…" Sora began, not knowing quite what to say. Ventus snorted and sat back against the stone. "Nah, I'd want to get eaten or something. Strip me down, paint me up, and give me to the Moogles."

"Shit," Sora muttered, imagining Hacky's donut hole arms attempting to hold a knife and fork over Ventus' bare stomach. He grimaced to stop from laughing, but caved when Ventus snickered. Then he fell silent. Sora stood at his side a moment longer, discomfort eating him from the inside out. When it broke his resolve, he turned for his clothes and bag.

"Heard you reached supersonic bitch mode today," Ventus chirped as Sora lifted a foot. The brunette's shoulders shot up. He spun around.

"How..." he gasped. "How did you..."

Guilt, fear, and anger crashed over him again. Echoes of the conversation between Demyx, Zexion, and Lexaeus outside the Teatro prickled down his spine like cold needles. As he clenched his fists and whipped his glance towards Ventus in hatred, the blond held out his hand for Sora to shake. Sora furrowed his brows in befuddlement. When he finally returned the favor, Ventus beamed and welcomed him to the club. Sora gaped. Ventus snorted.

"Though I do have to say," he murmured, "I've never gotten someone killed for the guy I love."

"They're going to kill Ari?" Sora squeaked, reaching for Ventus' shoulder for support. The boy clasped him by the arm in assistance, watching Sora's struggle with a placid expression. "No, they're not going to kill him, Sora," he offered. "They just got really close."

"So now..." Sora gulped, peering down at Ventus in humiliation. "I... now everyone knows, huh?"

Ventus shrugged and shook his head. "Nah. Eraqus doesn't know. Neither does the non key blade wielding student body bar Vanitas. Everyone who knows now knew from first day of term."

Sora groaned in relief and collapsed at Ventus' side, burying his head in his hands. When Ventus reached for his back, he winced. The hand stayed on his bare skin. Then it began rotating. Eventually Sora relaxed into its touch.

"I didn't think that they would ever actually," he started, but Ventus shrugged and said that that attitude was exactly what got people killed. Sora blinked and stared at his hands in horror. Ventus sighed and shook his head.

"It's not just you fucking up, Sora," he soothed with a pat to the back. "I think shit is about to go down hard everywhere. I can feel it."

"Huh," Sora muttered in dejection. When the returning silence aggravated his shame, he piped up and admitted that he told Eraqus he had seen Ventus and Vanitas together. As the confession petered to grumbling, Ventus snorted.

"So that's why I'm grounded," he sighed. "Fuck you, Sora."

"You're welcome," Sora returned, grinning in spite of himself.

"I'll take that as payback for the poster," Ventus drawled. Sora blinked at him and gasped.

"It was you?" he barked. Ventus nodded.

"Nimo told me you fucked Vanitas," he said. "Everyone who was nice to you got bad luck. You were kind of my personal villain. Well, you and Roxas…." he trailed off. Then he snorted. "He threatened to come for me if I ever fucked with you again. He likes you a lot."

"I know," returned Sora with a scowl. The hook of guilt that had loomed over him like a noose ever since he left the Teatro clasped his throat and made him crumple into himself. For some reason his mind was flickering back to the night on Avenida. The taste of apple. The smell of piss, alcohol, and smoke. Vanitas' warm breath. His crushing body. The piercing sensation. Mixed with it were visions of Ari sobbing. Nimo and the rest of the student body leering in the halls. Roxas gritting his teeth against Sora's touch as if his skin was made of hot coals. Ari's protective arm as Sora forced himself closer to Naminé. Disgust tore through him so hard that he thought he would be sick. He clutched his stomach and shut his eyes tight, trying to remember the waves back home, the sun, the smell of paopu, how to breath. Then, something warm circled his shoulders. Something soft pressed against his cheek. Without thinking Sora groped towards it, rapping himself in and pressing it close. It smelled like citrus. Shampoo.

"Son of a nutcracker," he announced when he realized it was Ventus. Ventus laughed as Sora shoved him away. But the brunette kept his hand locked under Ventus' thigh. His need for physical contact was embarrassing. But with the way he felt now, he believed he would have clasped his hands around anyone. Axel, Reno, Xemnas, Nimo... even Soddy. In a way, he was lucky. It could have been anyone else. And he would have been trapped. Incapable of self control. And Ventus was being so uncharacteristically kind.

When Sora felt strong enough speak, he asked in a croak how Ventus had known he was on the summit. Ventus shrugged and responded that he didn't.

"I always come here nowadays," he sighed. "This is the only time no one else is around. I was considering not even getting out of bed tonight. But I heard people talking about your performance as they came back to the dorms. I saw the replica and Naminé. Heard that you came out. Got me thinking. And this is the only place I can think. So I came. Guess it's fate," he added with a wink. Sora stared through him. His hold tightened around Ventus' leg. Ventus wrapped his arm around Sora's waist. Sora surrendered into his shoulder and closed his eyes, apologizing for being selfish. Ventus shrugged.

"Maybe now, just a little bit... you can understand the way I've acted," he whispered. Sora remained silent. Again, Ventus sighed and glanced over the peaks. Then he turned to Sora with a sly grin.

"Say…" he started. Sora blinked at him and furrowed his brows.

"Want to be selfish for twenty more minutes?" Ventus whispered. Before his companion could speak, Ventus crawled over one of his splayed legs. Then, he leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. Sora held still. Ventus leaned in again, lingering on the commissure of Sora's mouth. Sora's eyes fluttered closed. His lips puckered. Ventus turned and met them. For a moment the boys played with each other, pressing forward and gripping ever so slightly as they pulled away. Then they moved faster, harder, until Sora opened his mouth to pant. Ventus gaped as well and held Sora by the chin. He pressed his lips around Sora's and drove in his tongue, running it along the brunette's underside and locking its embrace with his lips. Sora opened wider and whimpered. Ventus' lips popped as he let go. The boys stared at each other. Ventus winked. Sora grinned. The blond's lips and nose shone black with eyeshadow. Sora wiped the makeup away with his hands, resting his thumbs against Ventus' cheeks as he clasped around the boy's ears. Ventus clasped his palms over Sora's. Smiled.

A voice in Sora's head begged him to let go. To lower his hands, turn, and stand. So he shut his eyes, turned his head, and tried to lean back. But he could not move. His hands circled farther around Ventus' skull, piercing and pulling through waves of soft gold like little trawlers. Ventus whined and threw one arm around Sora's bare back. The other he tousled through the brunette's sprayed hair. Tiny heartbeats burst along Sora's skin wherever he touched. The cavity of his chest and the place between his legs ached.

For weeks he had waited for someone to touch him. He had dreamed that it would be Naminé, hoped, even, that it might be Roxas. But it had to be someone. Suddenly, Sora felt like he would snuff out like a starved flame if he was left untouched. His arms wrapped tighter around Ventus' shoulders, until the boy's head nuzzled into his bare chest. When Ventus' palm kneaded the dimples on Sora's back, Sora bucked into him and yelped. Ventus snickered up to Sora's wide parted lips and kneaded harder. Sora threw back his head and whined as Ventus kissed along the lobe of his ear. The space between his legs burst with heat, growing so heavy he felt his hand drift down his chest of its own accord. When his fingers slipped along the dip between his hip and stomach he felt a lurch in his pelvis. His penis felt so full and heavy he grimaced. When Ventus broke away to look at it, Sora covered his face in his hands.

"Wow, Sora," Ventus snickered, brushing his finger along the tip. A bolt of electricity sizzled from his skin to Sora's toes, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Sora, have you ever had an orgasm?" Ventus breathed. Sora shook his head and scrunched shut his eyes, unable to speak. The whisper that had begged him to escape before returned again, willing him to melt into the ground and disappear completely. When he imagined himself disintegrating through the earth above Ventus' lips, being dug into, clung to, swept through, it made his breathing heavy and erratic. No matter what he distracted himself with, every plea and bargain circled back to the need for touch. To feel a heartbeat beside his own. When he became aware of Ventus' stare, the humiliation made him wail. Immediately the boy hitched him closer and ghosted his fingers up and down his back, rocking him from side to side.

"Do you want me to help you have one?" he cooed. As Sora leaned into his hips, he felt something firm rise beneath him. Ventus' breath staggered. His fingers drifted over the base of Sora's penis until they dipped between his balls. Sora felt another pelvic lurch. His thighs trembled. He hyperventilated. Sweat poured between his arms. He gulped. Then, defeated, he nodded. Ventus stilled. Sora felt his gaze.

"Can I see your face?" the blond asked in a murmur. Sora's grip tightened over his eyes. Then, relaxing, he lowered his hands and peeked through his lashes with a timid pout, thawing under the warmth of Ventus' smile. The blond smoothed the frown, tears, and remaining makeup from Sora's cheeks. Then he stood the boy up, crying out when the brunette nearly staggered over the summit edge. When he asked if Sora could stand, he shook his head. Ventus pursed his lips. Then he sat Sora in his place and bent before him. When the blonde's breath moved in warm tendrils between his legs, Sora yelped and shook his head. Ventus furrowed his brows.

"Sora," he worded. "When you orgasm, you shoot fluid out of you. Where else is it going to go?"

"I- I, I just," Sora tried, sniffing and whimpering when the firmness between his legs tinged with pain. He hugged himself to keep from curling around Ventus as the blond glanced from side to side. When he peered over the summit edge near the waterfall, he gasped. Then, guiding Sora half standing until they looked out together, he turned Sora's back to his chest and settled the boy on his lap. Sora draped his spine over Ventus' abdomen and let his head loll toward the boy's ear. Ventus curled Sora's knees around his own and widened Sora's thighs until they sat in a near straight line. Sora panted and shivered as his breath gusted above him like fog. When he felt Ventus' hands undoing the buttons of his trousers beneath him, he pleaded no.

"I'm not going to put it in, Sora," Ventus said. "I just want to grind you."

"No," Sora insisted, "I- I'd rather."

"I'll just do this," Ventus whispered into Sora's neck. Sora felt the boy's hips swirl beneath him. The firmness he had felt when sitting on Ventus' lap before turned to a soft, wet column that slipped forward and back between his buttocks, pressing the skin behind his balls and sending bolts through the center of his body. Sora's breath caught in his throat. An image of a strange, mezzaluna like sausage sweeping back and forth beneath him made him giggle. But as Ventus' stomach and bare hips pressed into the dimples of his backside, he became painfully aware that a person was attached. Against his will he fell deeper. Ventus kissed his neck. Hugged his arms firmly around Sora's sides and up his chest. A shiver rippled down Sora's spine.

"You cold?" Ventus breathed in his ear. Sora shook his head.

"Just feels weird?"

Sora nodded. Ventus chuckled.

"It is really weird, isn't it? But it feels good."

Sora agreed with that. Then he sniffed.

"You can do it, too, Sora," Ventus cooed. His voice was light. Careful. Sora's shoulders relaxed. He nodded. Then, as he had done in the drag show before Nimo, he began to grind. This time he swirled his hips so that he and Ventus met and pressed together in the middle. Moans erupted from his throat. Ventus whimpered behind him.

"Your hips are stiff, Sora," he whispered. He pressed his hands between Sora's ribs and pelvis, jiggling his legs up and down so he swayed from side to side. At first Sora resisted. Then, as he sighed and slumped back, his hips swirled harder into Ventus' touch. When Ventus' hand gripped tight around Sora's penis, Sora shrieked and tensed up. Ventus shushed him and kissed his ear, pressing his other hand below Sora's belly button to calm him down as he tried not to laugh.

"Just relax, just try," he murmured. Sora hissed that Ventus was making fun of him. Ventus promised that he wasn't, kissing Sora again and again on the shoulder. Eventually Sora nodded and relaxed. Ventus' hand gripped harder. Then, he pressed the skin upwards. Sora lurched forward. When Ventus jammed his hand to the base of the pillar again, Sora screeched and fell back. Ventus shushed him louder and rocked him. "Just relax," he laughed.

"It's so fucking uncomfortable," Sora streamed in a single, gusting breath.

"I know, but it'll feel better if you relax," Ventus breathed. "Just put how you feel into your voice and body. It's like fighting, right? Don't push, just go with the flow."

"G-go with the flow," Sora panted with a nod, breathing deep into the small of his back and gusting through his transverses. Focus breath. Sora giggled in spite of himself, cutting off in a choke when Ventus pumped again.

"What's so funny?" the boy cooed. The faster the pumping became, the harder Sora ground against him.

"N-nothinnggggg," Sora whined in a loud trill. Ventus giggled and licked his neck, resetting the little heartbeats trembling through Sora's skin. Sora leaned his head towards Ventus' lips, letting his mouth fall wide and his eyes flutter open. Little geometric patterns invaded the starry sky above. The moon was a shimmering hexagon. The stars jittered and pinged off one another like shattering triangles. Everything held a soft glow, as if Sora viewed the world through pink and green crystals.

When Ventus kneaded his thumb into the skin behind Sora's balls, a deep moan extended from the small of Sora's back to the crown of his head. Ventus whined into his skin and pressed harder, swirling until every rhythm matched. Soon Sora was driving the soft skin into Ventus' penis as Ventus' hand pressed into it from the front. His breath was dominated by a single, pained yell that seemed to go on forever, cut off only when Ventus' mouth cupped his own. Sora heaved towards him, reaching for him with his tongue in desperation. Ventus kissed back hungrily, biting Sora's cheek when Sora wrapped his arms around the boy's head. Tears streamed from Sora's eyes. When he looked into the sky, all he saw was a haze of shimmering purple velvet and rolling diamonds.

"Roxas," he whimpered, clamping his hand over his mouth in horror as he said it. Ventus grimaced but shook his head. "It's okay," he gulped. "Say it."

"No," Sora groaned. But when Ventus pumped harder, Sora said the name again. The heat and maddening itch clawing up his spine from the space just above Ventus' touch became unbearable. Sora's eyes flew shut. The sudden urge to pee overcame him. He held it in. His dick felt like it would explode.

"Roxas," Sora whimpered, "er, Ven- I- I feel."

"Hold it," Ventus hissed. Sora nodded and clutched Ventus harder. Ventus forced Sora to kneeling. They were so close to the summit edge Sora could feel the mist from the waterfall creeping up his thighs. The space between his legs felt like it was swelling with liquid. Like an organ inside him was creeping outwards, taking over his whole pelvis. He could feel it hugging into his bones. He could hardly move. His breathing drew deep and erratic. Deep pleasure to the point of discomfort clawed the inside of his skin. His heart hammered. Something was coming over him. Something was washing out in waves from the swelling in his pelvis to the rest of his body, like lightning bolts in a warm sky, or water being poured through his veins. His skin went numb. His eyes flew open. The sky turned white. Sora screamed. Then, his penis burst. He gasped and stared down as Ventus continued to pump, watching as he bucked his hips over the summit edge. Streams of white liquid twirled in a wide arch and fell in rotating droplets through the mist below. When the last of it was gone, Sora fell back into Ventus' arms and exhaled. When Ventus patted his face, Sora stared up through drooping lids. Ventus' cheeks were bright pink. His eyes shone.

"Sora," he whispered. "Could- could you do the same for me?"

Sora stared. He said he did not know what to do. Ventus shook his head.

"It, it doesn't matter," he blurted. Then, he gave an odd smile. "Can, can I call you Vanitas?"

Sora furrowed his brows in discomfort. Then he nodded. He sat up and gulped. Ventus stripped from his clothes and stood before the summit edge naked, throwing his arms out and lolling back his head like Sora had done. When he said he was ready, he lowered himself onto Sora's lap. Sora mumbled that he was not hard anymore. Ventus shrugged and said it didn't matter.

"I'm really close," he whispered. His penis was fully erect. Sora could not help but ogle as he padded towards it. Ventus' arms shook as he put them around Sora's shoulders. He nuzzled his cheek into Sora's neck. Sora kissed him. Ventus sniffed. His lip trembled.

"Just, just kiss me again, please," he begged. "Vanitas, Vanitas likes to kiss right under my jaw."

Sora nodded and kissed along Ventus' jaw, smelling his skin as he breathed into it. He smelled like Roxas. When he peeked down Ventus' stomach back to the pillar of muscle driving out from the golden hair surrounding the creases of his thighs, he realized that that was probably what Roxas' looked like, too. To his surprise, blood began rushing between his legs again. He pressed Ventus closer to him. Ventus' breath shuddered as Sora circled his hand around his dick. Sora spread Ventus' thighs apart with his knees. Ventus gasped. For a little longer, Sora let his fingers run up and down the boy's penis, prodding around the pulled triangle of flesh connecting the lid like top to the pillar below. When the muscle twitched, he gasped and pressed harder. Ventus cinched his legs tighter around Sora's thighs, moaning as he pressed his lips to Sora's neck. Sora closed his eyes and pressed closer to Ventus, amazed by how warm the boy felt against him. He loved the feeling of Ventus' shoulders as the bones moved over his nipples. As he swirled his hips deeper and deeper between Ventus' splayed thighs, he found himself going hard again. When he began pumping Ventus and swirling harder, Ventus sputtered laughter and matched his rhythm.

"Sora, you're already," he gusted, stopping to moan when Sora hugged him closer.

"Put your finger into the space behind my balls," he gusted into the brunette's skin. "Lick your finger first."

Sora nodded and sucked on his finger. Then he reached between Ventus' legs and found the space behind his balls. He began kneading. Ventus bucked and relaxed, swirling harder. He whispered Vanitas' name under his breath. Sora ground deeper.

"Please," Ventus sobbed, "Just, just say you love me, I- I can't cum unless- not right now, I'll- I'll tell you when."

Sora nodded and pumped faster. Ventus guided him forward onto his knees so that his hips leaned over the summit edge as Sora's had done earlier. When Ventus shuddered and gasped, Sora kissed his ear. Ventus shouted that he was ready.

"I love you, Ventus," Sora whispered. Ventus gasped and shot his hips forward, his face disappearing into Sora's shoulder as another, smaller stream of white fluid fled him and disappeared over the mountain. When he finished, he collapsed into Sora's arms with a whimper. For a moment the pair drooped in silence. Ventus sobbed under his breath. Sora clutched for him in the darkness, sighing when the boy was in his arms. Somehow they crawled to fresh grass and collapsed. As Ventus crossed his legs around Sora's left thigh, opening the boy up to the stars overhead, Sora threw out his arms and sighed. For a blissful moment, it was as if the strange white liquid had ejected all his guilt and disgust over the cliffside into the water below. As he payed with Ventus' hair, the blond whispered thank you. With bitten lip, he chanced scooting closer. His eyes remained closed. When he smelled the skin near Sora's nipple he chuckled.

"If I wrinkle my nose, you smell like him," he sighed. "Just a tiny bit."

"Who?" Sora mumbled.

"Vanitas," Ventus whispered in return.

"It's the spice," Sora muttered. "We both like tamales."

Ventus conceded by way of a chuckle before rolling away on his back. His legs remained clasped tightly around Sora's thigh.

"So that was your first ever orgasm?" he asked. Sora's eyes widened in embarrassment. He shrugged. Ventus propped himself up on his elbow. His hand hovered over Sora's lips, playing along the boy's chin. Sora stared up at him without expression. Ventus grinned. His cheeks were dusted with freckles like Roxas', except their shape was different and their color was darker. A kink in his face meant his left cheek smiled harder than his right. Sora poked the skin without thinking. Ventus accepted it by holding his hand.

"So you've never masturbated in your life?" he asked. Sora shook his head. "Roxas thought it was weird too..." he started. As his vision clouded over, Ventus tweaked his nipple and brought him back to the present with a yelp.

"Let's not think about Roxas," the blond grinned. "Let's just be together."

Sora stared into Ventus' eyes. The nagging feeling creeping up on him pushed away as he nodded. Suddenly, Ventus' hand was between his legs again. When he glanced down, the boy began to knead. Sora's eyes fluttered closed as he snuggled into Ventus' shoulder.

"You ready for round two?" he asked. Sora flew his eyes open and shook his head. When he turned away, Ventus leaned against his side and asked why not. All Sora could do was shake his head. But when Ventus scowled and tried scooting away, Sora clamped his arms around him. Ventus chuckled in surprise and snuggled up again.

"What sweet revenge," he whispered. "Why didn't I just do this to begin with?" Sora ignored him, concentrating on the feeling of Ventus' heartbeat beneath his ribs. The drift of his hair with the night breeze. The way the stars and summit lamp glowed against his golden skin.

"You know I liked Vanitas from the moment I saw him?" he blurted out, half to himself. Sora wrinkled his nose and shut his eyes. He felt Ventus' chuckle in the deep of his ribs. "He'd always tell me, 'why can't you be more like your brother?' It'd make me cry. I always told him, 'just imagine him but touch me.' I even deepened my voice to sound like him. Tried moving like him. You'd think, being twins..."

"You're different people," Sora insisted, guilt slicing through him again. Every word from the blond's mouth was torture. In his head he prayed for silence. For a moment there was. Then, Ventus muttered, "some things you can't change..." and fell into oblivion again. Then he propped up on his side.

"Did you say 'no,' when he brought you behind the warehouse?" he asked. His face looked gaunt under the moon's shadow. Sora pursed his lips. Then he nodded.

"And he touched you anyway?" Ventus whispered. Sora nodded again. Ventus peered down at him with furrowed brows. "I'm going to dump him," he whispered with a gulp. Then he smiled, adding, "Can, can we be friends, Sora?"

Sora stared at him with bitten lip. He gave a forced smile and said yes. Ventus beamed and kissed him on the cheek. Then he stood and gave an elaborate, purring stretch. When he peeked back and caught Sora watching with a wink, Sora rolled on his stomach and buried his blushing face in the grass. Soon, two knees cinched his hips. Two palms propped themselves on the grass on either side of his neck. Then Ventus was laying on top of him like Ari had done during their fight after the Drag Show. This time, though, he could feel Ventus' erection press against him. As Ventus rocked him back and forth, Sora closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists, whispering "no," under his breath again and again. Even when the hardness between his own legs burned, he gritted his teeth and concentrated on the dewy grass and crawling earth beneath him. Soon, Ventus was off and Sora was free again. When he glanced up, the blond was gathering his clothes and putting them on.

"You should go back, soon," he suggested over his shoulder. "People are probably worrying about you." Then, as if struck, he froze and whipped around. Sora blinked back without responding. The kink in Ventus' cheek tugged up his smile.

"Do you want to come to my room?" he asked. "I have my own because I'm Eraqus' son. The bed is warm. It's pretty big. I could hold you."

Sora gazed at him with wide eyes. His heart twisted inside him, washed with an overwhelming desire for warmth. But something deep down told him he would regret saying yes. So he shook his head. Said he needed to stay until the sun rose. Ventus nodded and wished him luck. Then he left. When he was gone, Sora looked back at the sky. The moon was low. A small, pink haze crept along the horizon in the distance. Sora sniffed as he looked at it and cried again. When he finished, he sat up and slipped on his briefs. Then he returned to the summit edge and watched until the sun came up. As the land grew bright and new birds sang, he stumbled towards the stone bench at the summit center. Then, exhausted, he laid at its side and fell asleep.

~X~

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 **A/N: Did that throw you all for a loop? Hate it? Love it? What's this going to cause between Sora and Roxas? How is the rest of the semester going to pan out? Stay tuned! Thank you R12 for your support, everyone else should review as well because it really gets me on my toes!**


	24. Saying No

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! I can't tell you how much I adored and appreciated reading the reviews from last chapter... a GREAT way to get this story more recognition is to FOLLOW, FAV, and REVIEW\- and THANK YOU! from the bottom of my heart to the people who have done that! As for Sora's naiveté... **

**Sora, from the beginning, has been play dough for anyone with ulterior motives- it's only becoming more apparent now because the great plans broiling from the story's beginning are taking form- and also, because Sora is increasingly distancing himself from his protectors.**

 **BTW, the trio talking at the beginning of last chapter were Zexion, Lexaeus, and Demyx, not Ansem and Xemnas! Perhaps I should have made that clearer...**

 **Get ready for even more drama in this chapter...**

* * *

~X~

 ** _Cha_** ** _pter Twenty Three_**

~X~

Sora toiled in the school garden with a wide brimmed witch's hat stuffed over his manic hair. The costumes had been Luxord's idea. He came from a world known for its All Hallows' Eve celebrations, a holiday celebrating the end of summer and the beginning of winter, a time when the veil dividing the spirit from the human world was at its thinnest. Sora thought it was kind of silly wearing a witch's hat as a commemoration when Yen Sid trundled around the school in a giant blue cone every day. It was also slightly awkward that weather wise, Land of Departure was already entering its winter season. But Luxord had promised homemade cookies for anyone in costume, and Sora needed some sort of spooky food for Culture Club. With any luck, he could beg for Luxord's leftovers. Roxas disliked sugar and Tifa was always "watching her boobs," so unless Luxord was a secret cookie fanatic, Sora figured it would not be too hard to swipe at least a few. Right now he was on his lunch break sprucing up the collection of irises at the center of the maze. After settling all the dead leaves in a bag, he spritzed the healthy ones and stood up to stretch. Then he reached down and took a bite of his sandwich. For some reason, the curve of the bread crust reminded him of the dip in Ventus' hip. When he forced his eyes to the grass the thoughts got worse. Finally, he shoved the sandwich to the ground, flailed his arms around his head, and then threw the witch's hat up through the air before catching it and pelting to the ground. As he slumped back over his food in dejection, he sniffed and reached in his pocket. His heart sank when it clasped around the charm Hacky had given him before she died. In sad curiosity he held it up to the light. It was a strange chain. It had little crown shaped links and a three-tiered arrow on its base. A silver heart with golden veins protruded from the arrow's center. Sora considered burying it under the flowers as a memorial to her. Then he sighed and slipped it back in his pocket. He wondered if Moogles celebrated All Hallows' Eve. Did they communicate with their dead? Sora shivered as a shadow passed overhead. He looked up expecting to see a large fluffy cloud in the shape of a moogle, like the spirit of Hacky reminding him that he was a decent human being. Instead, he met eyes with Soddy.

With a scowl he dug in his spade and stabbed the dirt around the iris bunch's edge. Soddy watched him. When he asked if Sora needed any help, Sora gritted his teeth and muttered no. Soddy pursed his lips and stood back, continuing to stare. When he asked how classes were going, Sora shrugged. When he asked how the drag show went, Sora shut his eyes in irritation and insisted that he would rather not be bothered right now. Soddy nodded and scratched his ear. Then he announced that Sora's coming out and standing up to Vanitas had been a sight to behold. Sora froze in shock as the admission hit him. For a glimmer of an instant he considered chucking his spade right above Soddy's nose. Instead he settled for shooting him a death glare. As he met Soddy's eye and imagined him falling off the summit edge, drowning, and being burned alive by boiling water, Soddy cocked his head to the side and picked at a scab on his elbow.

"You know, you shouldn't take things so seriously," he chirped, letting the dead skin flutter from the tips of his fingers to the ground. When Sora glared at him in disgust, his eyes glazed over with a beam. "I once had this buddy who laughed at the stupidest things," he chuckled. "Every snicker was like a knife to my pretentious gut. I loathed playfulness. Told him to get a grip."

"Well, life makes everyone get a grip sooner or later," Sora mumbled. Soddy chortled. Sora ground his teeth.

"Eventually you realize the absurdity of life," the man continued. "Then you can't help but laugh at it." Sora furrowed his brows as he glanced towards him. Soddy looked into the sky with a distant, dreamy expression that made Sora blink in surprise. After recovering, he continued with his flowers.

"All the shit that happens," Soddy grinned, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath as a chill breeze pierced his cheeks. "It's just a big celestial joke. All you can do is jump from tide to tide."

"Well, sometimes the tides get too big," Sora snapped. Soddy shrugged, murmuring, "Every time I've fallen in was due to stubbornness or shortsightedness. Did I tell you I enjoyed the drag show?"

"Repeatedly," Sora growled in return, mopping the sweat from his neck and brow with his wrist.

"I was also pleasantly surprised to find myself a guest star on the Snatch Game," Soddy added with a grin. "Came out feeling rather chuffed."

"It wasn't supposed to be a compliment," Sora shot back.

"I hadn't seen that segment before," Soddy returned as if Sora had not spoken at all. A wistful curve overtook his brow. "Kind of wish I could have seen it last year."

"It's just an excuse to sound off school rumors," Sora muttered, impaling the dirt with his spade once again. "Like Vanitas said."

"No," Soddy shot down with an oblivious frown. "The fears of the student body surround and inhabit each member of the faculty for a reason. Before I saw your show, I thought the only tool to combat injustice was violence. I never dreamed of how powerful something as insignificant as laughter..." he trailed off. Then, for a long moment, he turned away, giving Sora a chance to examine him closely. As usual, he wore his retro workout shorts, bright red this time, but he had the good grace to put on a shirt over them. Still, as Sora tried to make out the outlines of his body beneath the cotton, he felt a twinge of dismay that he could not see the skin itself.

"Eraqus held a committee to decide whether to keep the club," Soddy drawled, turning to look at Sora just as the boy averted his gaze. "Had the entire faculty vote. Vast majority said yes. Yen Sid and Mickey said they thought it was wonderful."

"Did you vote no?" Sora asked. Soddy's face slacked with disappointment and a twinge of insult. "I voted yes, Sora," he said.

"Huh," Sora responded. Suddenly he remembered Mickey's weapon and element classes, and the way the mouse had let Sora cry in Yen Sid's office the day he saw the poster. The memory of kindness struck him the same way Hacky's hugs used to. As Sora touched his heart, Soddy nodded and whistled.

"I'm telling you, that King Mickey…" he sighed.

"You've got the hots for a giant mouse?" Sora said in a flat tone. Soddy gasped and shook his head.

"Of course not!" he barked, readjusting himself. "I just admire his talent. You know he never took the Mark of Mastery? He's been wielding a key blade for over fifteen years. Never needed to be called a Master, but would like the piece of paper now for posterity. I hear Yen Sid is starting his exam the same time as Terra and Aqua's. Brilliant man, err, mouse."

"You look up to him?" asked Sora. Soddy nodded in his vigorous way, orange eyes shining with wonder as he set his hands before him in indication.

"He is a god among men," he whispered. "The minute he gains Mastery, I am applying for apprenticeship. See, that's the thing! He can't take on an apprentice if he's not a master! I came to him before about teaching me, and he said he would think about it. I wonder if I swayed his mind."

Soddy seemed positively giddy with glee. Sora found it a tad unnerving. When the man shifted closer, Sora scowled and rubbed his eyes.

"You're blocking the iris's sunlight," he said flatly. Soddy apologized and moved out of the way. When Sora said he was still blocking the sun, Soddy sat his red bound backside right on the grass. Sora stared at him with an expression of disbelief. Then he sighed and shook his head.

"You should find a master to teach you as well," Soddy chirped. "It's like the Sith: only one apprentice to a master at a time."

"What about Terra and Aqua?" asked Sora. Soddy snorted and said only one of them would pass the exam. Sora blinked in shock. Soddy seemed smug.

"You can't take on two people at once and give your time evenly," he explained.

"I think that's ridiculous," Sora responded. Soddy shrugged.

"If Mickey becomes master, and then I become master, I could teach someone," he murmured with a smile. "I, I think I would rather teach a hero than be one."

"You could never be a hero," responded Sora. Splashes of despair and fear, like on a child being told it was talentless, widened Soddy's eyes and made him stutter. When his shoulders sagged, he muttered that Sora was right.

"I could never be a traditional hero," he compromised. "The best I can hope for now is to be of use to someone else. To be kind and considerate to all, regardless of any qualms. I highly valued your speech at the drag show."

Sora whined and dug his mini rake into the ground. Then he stood and faced Soddy.

"Don't you get it?" he snapped. "I'm just as much of an asshole as everyone else!"

Soddy stared at him with a sharp glance. Then he narrowed his eyes and tapped his chin.

"Last time I checked, Sora," he tried, "you're a human being with an asshole attached." Then he grinned and winked. Sora stared at him, lost for words. Soddy stared back with a grin of triumph. When Sora found himself snorting, he rolled his eyes and shook his head, returning to his irises as his irritation ebbed. Soddy scooted closer and pursed his lips as he looked over his shoulder.

"If I had to make a medical diagnosis," he announced. "I would concur that you simply have a problem with the word, "no.""

Sora stared at him as if he were crazy. When he snapped for Soddy to repeat himself, Soddy leaned forward and asked if he could touch Sora's arm.

"I wouldn't let you touch my arm if you paid me!" spat Sora. Soddy clapped close to his face.

"There we go, there's a no!" the man boomed. Then he shrugged. "You act on complete impulse. You never think."

"Impulse has gotten me what I wanted…"

"Ninety percent of the time," finished Soddy. "And the other ten percent, you fall so hard you can barely get back up."

"That's a lie!" shouted Sora. Soddy pressed his fingers together and tapped them against his chin in exasperated thought.

"For example, when you discover your true love adores a puppet more than yourself, your impulse tells you to expose him to get rid of him."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," Sora sneered. Soddy threw back his head and gave a deep, rumbling laugh. When he shot Sora a knowing glance, Sora scowled and pushed himself to standing.

"If you're talking about Naminé and _Riku_ ," the brunette insisted, ""Getting rid of" makes no sense. Why would I try to murder my best friend?"

"The same way Riku attempted murdering you during your final last year," Soddy stated in an offhand sort of way.

"He did not fucking try to murder me!" shouted Sora.

"If my memory serves me correctly, he stated that he pointed his key blade between your eyes and took a shot," Soddy continued. "He would have been happy to see you dead."

"What do you know about my friend?" demanded Sora, trundling inches from Soddy's upturned face. Soddy pursed his lips and ground his teeth.

"A lot more than you do, Sora," he intoned. "An awful lot more." For a moment Sora and Soddy stared each other down in silence. Then Soddy leaned towards the brunette with hands clasped before him.

"Sora," he pleaded. "I only say these things because I see you going down a dark path. The human body isn't a one-impulse machine. It's a series of wants and needs that drift and pull. It's confusing and infuriating. But if you take the time to breath past your immediate wants and discover the deeper needs within, you'll find a stronger, more capable person inside yourself."

"I feel like this is all a ruse to make me stop hating you," Sora drawled. Soddy stared at him. Then he shut his eyes, rubbed his hands over his forehead, and groaned.

"Perhaps if you stopped hating me, you might learn something," he hissed. Then he hoisted himself up and turned to leave.

"And other people hurt, too, Sora," he added mid step. "Whether they are puppets, or faculty, or fellow students. We all hurt, especially when we open our hearts to you and you act like we don't have one."

Then he was gone. Sora blinked after him in befuddlement. He looked at his hands. Ground his teeth. The man was a dark haze. A complete enigma. Sora scowled and crossed his legs and arms. A butterfly with purple wings fluttered past his nose.

"What would Hacky do?" he whispered to himself. His brows furrowed as he gave a spirited nod. Then he checked his watch and launched himself up, dropping the gardening tools in the shed on the left side of the maze's outer wall before popping in the academy's back door past the black box. He heard the solo performance class gathering within. He passed them and burst through the exit stairwell door, sliding down the banister to the elevators the same time as Tifa. She was dressed as a vampire. When he tipped his hat she bared her teeth. She had tacked on two long canine veneers. Roxas was absent. Luxord was present, still recovering from the vicious flu he had acquired the previous week. He hobbled in with a massive plate of iced cookies in various spooky shapes. Instead of having class, he, Tifa, and Sora sat around eating and playing cards. When Sora asked if he could take the uneaten cookies to Culture Club, Luxord agreed on the condition that he lip sync "I Put A Spell On You." With a groan Sora acquiesced, and as Tifa and Luxord cheered and clapped, he scrolled through his professor's mp3 player, landed, and clicked up the volume full blast. Sora mouthed the words as best he could. The bell rang just as he finished. Sora took the cookies and trundled from the elevators through the stairwell exit by the blackbox. It was already thrumming with chatter and laughter. Sora shoved his witch's hat tighter over his head and burst in with cookies in hand. The class cheered. Neku was playing music on the speaker system. As Sora set his bags and cookies down and grabbed a cup of punch, Tidus sauntered towards him and asked Sora to guess what he was. He had rolled himself up in a shredded white t-shirt.

"A burn victim?" Sora asked.

"No!" Tidus barked, flickering his wrapped hands up in a ghostly manner. "I'm a mummy!"

As Sora attempted laughter, two hands clapped around his collar. A metal bulb dug into his neck as the chest beneath rested against his back. The owner pecked his cheek. When Sora glanced to the side, he gaped in shock. Ventus was smiling at him. He wore a choker with two metal bolts drilled on either side and a flat topped black wig. Someone had put lime green lipstick on him.

"Nice costume, Sora," he chirped.

"Thanks," Sora responded. As Ventus slid from his shoulders, Tidus tugged at the arm of his shirt. When Sora turned, he pointed across the room. Sora glanced in the direction of his forefinger. His eyes rested on Yuna, dressed as a fairy. Beside her sat Quistis. She wore a black corset, PVC miniskirt, and thigh high lace up boots. Clamped at her side was a riding crop.

"Quistis really likes you," Tidus whispered. "I was thinking, if, if I ask her out for you, you could ask Yuna out for me. Then we could go on a double date!"

"But Tidus, I don't like Quistis," said Sora.

"Well, there's also this hot freshman tamale I know named Ephemer. He has a key blade and he's in my class."

Tidus," Sora said. "It sounds like you just want an excuse to make me ask Yuna out for you."

Tidus stared at Sora with wide blue eyes. His mouth curled with a pleading smile. Sora snapped that Tidus had to fight his own battles. Tidus whined and clung closer, begging Sora to help him. When he began turning on the tears, Ventus pinched him and made him yelp. Sora laughed. Tidus rubbed his side in dejection. When Sora asked Ventus how Terra and Aqua did on the Mark of Mastery, he shrugged and said he did not know.

"They postponed the exam because Master Xehanort was off on business. I think they're having it right now."

"Oh," Sora said. "Hope they do well."

"Me too," sighed Ventus. For a moment Sora examined him in awe. The permanent glower that had etched his features not two weeks ago had evaporated. It reminded Sora of when he had first met him, standing side by side with Roxas on the forecourt steps. For one or two precious weeks following, Sora had considered him a friend. Now he beamed and laughed with Tidus as though Avenida, and even the night on the summit, had never happened. When Sora sighed in relief and Ventus asked what was wrong, Sora shrugged that he was just thinking about Roxas. Ventus' smile wiped away.

"Isn't he sick or something?" he asked in disinterest. Sora murmured that he did not know. Roxas had been absent from the dorm for the past few days. That was not unusual. But he rarely missed class. Images of the blond, bedridden and moaning of a broken heart, kicked around Sora's head. When another hand clapped against his shoulder, he jumped in fright. Hercules. The older boy grinned and winked as he looked down.

"Another rousing drag performance, Sora!" he beamed. "Though I have to say, the Snatch Game was slightly confusing."

"It was confusing for us as well," Sora sighed. He saw Ventus grin out of the corner of his eye. His glance pulled up. Sora looked away.

"How is Vanille doing?" he asked. Hercules sighed and shrugged. "Last I heard she joined some religious organization," he said. Sora furrowed his brows and nodded in surprise.

"I never told you this, Sora, but Phil was talking about you awhile back," Herc continued. "Asked if you'd gone home yet. I said, nope, he's one of the most powerful kids at school!"

"And what did Phil say to that?" responded Sora with pride. Herc's smile faltered. He gave a forced chuckle.

"Well, you know Phil, heh heh, never gives a compliment where a compliment is due."

Instead of prying, Sora let Herc escape and sat down with Ventus and Tidus. When Yuna came over to say hello, she gave Sora a hug. Tidus sputtered under his breath behind him. When Yuna pecked Tidus on the cheek, he gulped and fiddled with the waistband of his trousers. Sora narrowed his eyes. Quistis' PVC skirt crinkled as she attempted sitting at his side. When he helped her to the ground, she murmured thanks and readjusted herself. Soon a girl named Rikku plopped down as well. As she assailed Ventus, Yuna chatted with Tidus. Quistis and Sora hung in silence until Quistis announced that the drag show had been wonderful.

"I- Yuna told me you got in a fight with Riku after it finished," she added. "He-he pinned you to the ground."

"Yeah, we had a tussle," Sora sighed. Silence dominated again. Quistis gave a dainty cough.

"Because of Naminé?" she asked. Sora nodded. Quistis cocked her head to the side.

"I-I suppose you were devastated after, after losing her to your... muscular friend," she squeaked. Sora set his jaw but nodded.

"Well, o-other fish in the sea," Quistis chirped. "Older. Wiser. Fish."

"Yeah," Sora sighed. The pair stared forward without speaking. When the silence became too unbearable to stomach, Quistis mumbled and teetered to her feet, using Sora's shoulder to hoist herself up. After a quick goodbye Sora parted for more cookies and punch. He wandered around mid munch for the rest of the class, talking occasionally. When the bell rang and everyone cleaned up, Ventus skipped to his side and told him he had something to show him. When Sora asked what it was, Ventus winked and told him it was a surprise. Sora beamed, imagining treasure, combat moves, stashes of candy, or secret passageways like in the electrics room. They slipped on their bags and charged up the exit stairwell steps together. When Sora noticed they were heading for the boy's hall, his heart sank. Ventus burst through the exit and rushed down the corridor to the green colored door at the end of the hall, jiggling his key in the lock. When he opened it and stood by, Sora blinked in befuddlement.

"My room!" the blond chirped. Sora gulped and stared at the metal threshold. Then he glanced to the exit stairwell, imagining Roxas' halo of blond hair clambering up at any moment. When he met Ventus' expectant eye again, he sighed and lumbered forward. Once he was inside, the door shut and Ventus swept past him to his desk, where a wooden, lidless box lay beneath. One by one he brought out a battered wooden sword, a wooden key blade, and a green star shaped charm. Then, after spreading them in a crescent across his desktop, he stepped back and beamed with pride.

"Remember ages ago when Terra was talking about the charms Aqua made for us?" he chirped. "I may be wrong, but I think you said you wished you could see one. Here's mine! Aqua's is blue and Terra's is yellow."

Sora hovered over Ventus' shoulder with a gasp, brushing past the boy to run his fingers over the stained glass in wonder. A beautiful silver heart clung to the charm's center. A cross drove through its inverted teardrop base. The rest was suspended by a brown leather string. When Ventus asked if Sora wanted to hold it, Sora nodded. As he rose the charm to the light outside Ventus' massive window, Ventus plopped on his bed and snuggled down. Sora returned the star to the desk and turned over the wooden key blade with care, noticing the name "Terra," marked on its side.

"Terra's old play toy before he got his key blade," Ventus called, pulling up his shirt to scratch his side. "Cool, huh?"

Sora chanced a peek at his skin. When inconspicuousness seemed impossible, he averted his gaze and asked if the wooden sword had been Ventus'. Ventus giggled and nodded. Sora grinned and glanced further around the room. There was a fireplace, Greek urns, a tribal mask, sprawling bookshelves, drawings, a speaker, a golden cage, and a model of The Land of Departure and its moons. Sora pointed to each of them as he crossed by. Ventus explained what he could.

"Gift from Eraqus, gift from Eraqus, school books and gifts from Eraqus, my paintings, gift from Terra, gift from Aqua- bird's been dead for six years, and another gift from Eraqus."

"Wow… Eraqus likes you," murmured Sora. Ventus shrugged and said that he was his favorite son.

"I've gotten something every year except the last," he sighed. "Because I misbehaved. Roxas hasn't gotten a gift since he was nine."

"That's awful," Sora whispered, becoming suddenly aware of the mp3 player hiding in his pocket. When he asked where Roxas had gotten that, Ventus shrugged.

"Probably Axel," he said. Sora's brows rose in surprise. Had Axel made friends with Roxas on Sora's suggestion after all? It had been nice of him to get him a present.

"When is Roxas' birthday?" Sora asked, slipping his hand in his pocket to run his fingers over the tiny glass screen.

"Passed," Ventus chirped. "Roxas is a summer baby."

"Oh," Sora whispered. When Ventus asked for Sora's birthday, Sora said that it was in April. Ventus gasped and clapped his hands.

"I'm April, too!" he squealed. "The ninth!"

"I'm the tenth," Sora laughed. Ventus gaped. "So that means I'm older than you!"

"Only by a couple hours!" Sora whined. Ventus laughed again. He beckoned for Sora to look out the window. Sora shuffled his feet in aversion. Then he sighed and climbed over the bed to Ventus' side. When he peered outside in expectation, Ventus pecked him on the neck. Sora whipped around in shock. Ventus leaned against the wall. Sora blushed, attempting to slide away. Ventus stopped him with his leg.

"I really liked kissing you after the drag show," he breathed. His blush spread across his jawline as he giggled, "and the other stuff."

Sora gulped and looked at his hands. The guilt and exhaustion that had clawed at his chest as he hid in the alley outside the Teatro returned again. He rubbed his abdomen to spirit it away. Ventus watched him with a sharp expression.

"You didn't like it?" he whispered. His voice shimmered with fear. Sora gasped and shook his head, stuttering that it had been wonderful. He tried to say "but," but nothing came out.

"But you like Roxas better," Ventus whispered.

"It's just," Sora started, running his hand through his hair. "I've just known him longer, and I feel like I've betrayed him eno-"

"Are you going out with Roxas?" asked Ventus. Sora blinked at him. Blushed. He had never gone out with anyone. Did not know the first thing about it. He shook his head. Ventus shrugged.

"Then you haven't betrayed anyone. Roxas is just possessive."

Sora furrowed his brows. "I, I don't know," he started.

"He's obviously fucking someone, Sora," Ventus responded in a knowing way. "He's not just waiting in the rain for you."

"Who?" Sora asked, a strange, sharp feeling cutting through him. Ventus shrugged and said that Roxas never said.

"Roxas is great at hiding things," he sighed. His knee rose and brushed against Sora's middle. Sora folded his arms overtop without thinking. Ventus laughed. Then he leaned so close he draped his hands around Sora's shoulders.

"People who say you're mean, Sora," he whispered, "Want something from you. I think you're sweet. You're just confused."

"I know I like girls and boys, now," Sora insisted. Ventus grinned and nodded, brushing his thumb from Sora's cheek to his lips.

"What's the point of liking people if you're left waiting all the time?"

Sora's mouth went dry. He shrugged and croaked a giggle. Then he coughed. Ventus leaned further. Sora squirmed in discomfort. When the boy's lips met his own, he shut his eyes and shied away. But Ventus pressed on, pushing into Sora until they were lying backwards on his bed. Sora's heart beat fast. Ventus pressed into his wrists with his palms. As his legs rested between Sora's and his hips pressed against the crease connecting Sora's thighs to his hips, every inch of exposed skin sheathing Sora's neck, clavicle, and arms burned with the strangest feeling, as though they wanted to be wrapped up and hidden away. Ventus kissed Sora harder, pulling his bottom lip in his own until it slipped from his grip. Sora's cheeks blushed red. He squirmed. Ventus scowled. Then he shook his head.

"People always like Roxas better," he gulped. "I really must be useless."

As he rolled away and curled into a ball, Sora's heart racked with guilt. He rubbed Ventus' back the way the boy had done for him on the summit, whispering that he was wonderful. Ventus shrugged and nudged away, slipping from his bed towards his desk to play with Terra's wooden key blade. As Sora watched him, he wrung his hands. Ventus threw the blade to the floor and crossed his arms around the back of his chair, hiding his face in his forearms through a whimper. Sora fidgeted. He stood. Picked the blade up. When he set it with care at Ventus' side, he patted Ventus on the back. Ventus glowered up at him. Sora bit his lip. His toes scrunched up in his shoes. In defeat he leaned down and kissed him. Ventus smiled as he kissed back. When he pulled Sora's bottom lip in his own, Sora caught hold of Ventus' top. Their presses and pulls became sharper and sharper until Sora leaned his knee on the cushion between Ventus' legs and wrapped his arms around Ventus' head. Ventus snaked his hands into Sora's shirt and kneaded the dimples of his back. Electric shots spiraled from Sora's skin to the base of his pelvis. He whimpered and bucked closer as Ventus giggled.

"I think I've found one of your spots, Sora," he whispered. Sora's stomach squirmed. Ventus kneaded harder. Heat draped across Sora's thighs. Blood rushed between his legs. His pants tightened. Ventus' hand drove between his legs and found Sora's balls through his athletic shorts. When Ventus' fore and middle finger pressed into the space behind, Sora's breath hitched. He nuzzled his nose into the back of Ventus' hairline, bucking his hips forward as Ventus swirled around the sensitive skin beneath the fabric. Sora's breath shallowed. Ventus stood him up and used his hips to press him backwards. When they fell against the bed, he reached beneath Sora's legs and rolled them onto the covers. He kicked Sora's shoes off. Then his own. All the while Sora's pants grew so tight he shivered in distress. He threw his head back and scrunched his eyes closed, panting as Ventus pecked down the side of his neck. His tongue dipped around the grooves of Sora's collar. Sora winced and giggled at the touch. Every time Ventus' tongue flicked over the dip at the top of the bone, there was a deep lurch in the muscle. When he pulled up Sora's shirt and clamped his teeth around Sora's nipple, nibbling gently, Sora bucked so hard his nose pressed into the wall behind him. Ventus shushed him with a chuckle and ran his hands down Sora's sides. When Sora felt his shorts inching down, he yelped and forced himself to sit back.

"I- no, I can't," Sora pleaded. Ventus slid towards him with rose gold cheeks. He grinned.

"I just want to suck it, Sora," he murmured. "Or I could just pump like I did last time."

"No, no, I don't want that," Sora insisted breathlessly.

"You look like you want it," Ventus leered, snaking his hand up Sora's thigh until it slipped under the hem of his briefs. When his fingers curved up the underside of Sora's penis, the brunette gasped for breath. Tears clouded his vision.

"No, m-my heart doesn't want it," he said. "Please, Ventus."

Ventus giggled and pressed into the skin behind with his bare finger. When the nail brushed close to the entrance underneath, Sora bellowed and shoved him away with his foot. Ventus reeled back in surprise, staring at Sora as if he had slapped him. Then he pursed his lips. Sniffed back tears. Shame wrapped Sora's ribs. As Ventus' shoulders sagged, Sora padded forward and kissed him on the cheek. When Ventus tried kissing him back, Sora evaded him with a hug.

"How about- how about we just, be together, like... like that night?" Sora tried. Ventus stared at him in confusion. Then he muttered that they had been naked.

"Well... you don't _have_ to be naked to be together," Sora croaked. Then, as if to demonstrate, he slipped to Ventus' floor and shoved away the stray books, sprawling himself out as if he were making a snow angel. Ventus rolled his eyes in derision. Then, caving, he padded to Sora's side and snuggled against him. When his hand drifted under Sora's shirt and pulled up, Sora stopped it with a firm grip. Ventus glared at him.

"Can I not at least feel your skin?" he insisted. Sora blubbered in vacillation, but eventually bit his lip and nodded. Then, he slipped his shirt over his head and set it to the side. Ventus did the same. When he dug his shoulders into the floor, rose his hips, and slipped off his shorts, as well, Sora scooted off in fright. When Ventus caught the expression on his face, he descended into laughter.

"Sora, I just want to be close to you," he said. "I won't take off anything else, I promise."

Though skeptical, Sora sighed and shimmied off his shorts as well, wrapping his arms around Ventus' waist and leaning his head into his collar as the blond pulled him close. The familiar feeling of being pried open washed over him when Ventus wrapped his legs around Sora's thigh and pressed it towards him. Sora could feel the boy's erection against his leg. It took everything in him not to touch it. Instead, he ran his fingers through the golden waves of Ventus' hair and sighed as his nipple pressed into the boy's side. When Ventus' fingers ghosted from the side of Sora's rib to the inside of his hip, Sora felt another lurch under the skin. When he asked Ventus what it was, Ventus furrowed his brows.

"Whenever you run your hands over certain places," Sora whispered, "I feel a lurch. In the center of my lower stomach. In the muscle."

"You're just sensitive, Sora," Ventus whispered. "It's a good thing."

"Are you sensitive?" Sora asked. Ventus grew quiet. Then he whispered no. Sora pursed his lips and ran his fingers down his own side. The lurch was smaller. He furrowed his brows.

"Can I try?" he asked. Ventus blinked at him. Then he shrugged and nodded, scooting closer. Sora ran his fingertips from the skin of Ventus' stomach to his hips. It trembled. Sora grinned and poked it.

"Did you feel anything?" he asked. Ventus grinned. "I- I think so," he whispered. "It's like, a dip?"

"Yeah!" Sora chirped. When he ran his hand down Ventus' side, Ventus blushed and giggled.

"I got you again, didn't I?" Sora winked. Ventus gave him a playful push and scooted away with laughter, keeping his legs clasped around Sora's own. Then he fell quiet. Sniffed again. Groaned and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Gods, I'm so horny," he complained. Sora ignored him by averting his gaze.

"I'd give anything to be fucked by someone who liked me," Ventus whispered into Sora's back. Sora leaned over him with furrowed brows.

"Got anyone you like right now?" he suggested, propping himself up on his elbow. Ventus glanced up at him and blushed, muttering, "maybe." Sora pursed his lips. "Joshua?" he asked. "Neku?"

"Gods, no," Ventus muttered with wrinkled nose. "They're petulant."

"You're petulant!" Sora cried. Ventus gaped before pouting then scowling. Sora thought he heard him mutter something about someone being "thick." When he rested his chin against Ventus' shoulder in curiosity, the boy reached up and patted his cheek.

"I need someone opposite to me," he explained. "That's why Vanitas compliments me so well."

"Vanitas is trash," Sora replied. Ventus rolled his eyes and mumbled that that wasn't true.

"He's just…" he started. Then he bit his lip. "He's rotten," he said. "But it's like… he's intoxicating. His strength is finding people's weaknesses, and he's so body conscious... actually, he reminds me a lot of you, Sora."

"What?" Sora snapped, his chest tightening as his jaw clenched. Ventus felt the pull in his cheek as he held his chin. With a coo he washed both hands down the sides of Sora's jaws, relaxing him until he was close enough to kiss. In defeat Sora melted into him, letting him press his lips to his. When Ventus backed away and opened his mouth to speak again, the same desperation for silence that struck Sora the night of the Drag Show resumed, making him think he would do anything to reclaim it.

"It's just... I don't mean that you're an asshole, Sora," Ventus explained. "I just mean the way you touch people... you treat them like your own... there's zero hesitation. Like when you looked at my dick that night on the summit."

"Ventus!" Sora pleaded in humiliation, rolling onto his stomach and covering his face in his hands like he had that night. Ventus laughed as he settled on top of him, kissing his shoulder blades between each breath.

"I loved it, Sora!" he beamed. "I slept smoothly for the first time in months. I just felt completely... spent! Like I'd been touched everywhere I needed to be touched. And for a first timer, I was so shocked..."

"So I'm a hoe?" Sora balked. Ventus burst into laughter. When he saw Sora was close to tears, though, he cooed again and wrapped the brunette in his arms.

"All you do is laugh at me," Sora hissed.

"I'm not laughing at you, Sora," Ventus chuckled. "I just think the things you say are funny. What's wrong with being a hoe? Vanitas is a total hoe. The world needs people like you and him to crack it open!"

"I'm not like Vanitas!" Sora barked, pushing away from Ventus with curled lip. "I'm not a rapist!"

"I don't mean that, Sora!" Ventus snapped. "I just mean that you walk through life like you deserve the world, when most people feel like they don't deserve anything!"

"I don't deserve to be compared to him!" Sora insisted, prying himself from Ventus' legs. "I don't want to own anyone, I just want to be loved!"

"Well you've already got both!" Ventus snapped. "Everyone who loves you, you own!"

"I don't own anyone but myself!" roared Sora.

"Axel, Ansem, Riku, Naminé, Ari, Sota, Nao- Roxas most of all!" Ventus railed off. "Not sleeping, not eating, vomiting, crying constantly! How do you feel knowing there's someone out there who loves you so much that they burn every second you don't touch them?" he spat. "You've done the exact same thing to Roxas that Vanitas did to me last year!"

"I-" Sora gulped in despair, pressing himself away from Ventus in desperation. Ventus' fingers dug into Sora's arms.

"I could've wiped the floor with Roxas in my final if I hadn't been so exhausted!" he hissed. "Fucking embarrassment. I'm ten times better than I was. All because of those Avenida rumors."

"That wasn't my fault!" Sora begged in a high pitched whimper. His arms shook so badly he could barely press Ventus away. The more Sora struggled, the closer Ventus got. The aroused hopeless feeling that clanged through Sora's body every time the noise of guilt and bad memories overwhelmed him roared to be set free. Even when he clasped his hands over his ears and shut his eyes tight, memories of Riku, Avenida, and the Drag Show mashed over him like a hydra with Vanitas' eyes. When the echo of theirs and Ventus' calls became too strong, Sora threw out his arms and clung Ventus so tightly that his erection snuggled against his stomach. His breath came out of him in shattering gusts. When he became aware of Ventus calling his name, he flew his eyes open and clutched at the boy's lips. Without hesitating Ventus kissed him back, pulling down his briefs as he used his legs to kick away Sora's. As cold air hit the brunette's backside, he began shaking so hard his teeth chattered. Ventus wrapped him in warmth and kissed down his chest towards his belly button. When his breath drifted against the tip of Sora's penis, he wailed and begged for Ventus to stop. When the boy would not, Sora lunged forward and drove his head between Ventus' legs so that his nose dug into Ventus' lower thigh and his hair drifted beneath Ventus' balls. As Ventus yelped in confusion, Sora clasped his hands around the back of the boy's knees and cinched them in place.

"Sora, what the-" Ventus blustered in befuddlement.

When he tried reaching around Sora's sides, Sora cinched his legs to his chin and clasped his hands tighter. Ventus tried heaving himself from around Sora's head in vain. When he gave up, he collapsed down Sora's back and slapped him on the backside in irritation. Sora remained frozen. Eventually, Ventus groaned and draped his arms around the dimples at the base of Sora's spine.

"You're a fucking weirdo, Sora," he growled. Then, to Sora's relief, he trailed off and did not say anything at all. Soon he traced Sora's dimples with his fingers. Sora felt his legs relax around him. When he shimmied his head from between them, Ventus climbed up on his thighs and wrapped his arms around Sora's shoulders. Then he kissed Sora on the cheek and said he was sorry.

"I didn't mean to make you sad," he murmured. Sora remained silent. As an instinctual sway took him over, he rocked Ventus back and forth and closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of the boy's hair and the nape of his neck. Then, jolted, he flew his eyes open and leaned back.

"Ventus?" he asked. Ventus peeped down at him through dark blond lashes, raising his sandy brow in expectation.

"Eraqus took me to lunch before the drag show to warn me to keep clear of Roxas because he gave him responsibilities," Sora worded. When Ventus smirked, Sora clasped him harder. Ventus' tongue rolled around his cheek. He hid a smug grin under the pretext of scratching his upper lip. When Sora clasped him so hard his nails pressed into his back, Ventus fidgeted and pulled away.

"When Roxas was thirteen," he explained, "Eraqus caught him messing around with a sixteen year old boy. So as punishment he stripped him in the front yard and shot cold water at him till he apologized."

"Did he apologize?" Sora asked. Ventus shook his head. "He collapsed."

"Oh no," Sora breathed. Ventus shrugged, acquiescing that it had been terrifying to watch, but that Roxas had done it to himself.

"Then Eraqus tried shipping him to reform school," he sighed. "Instead he ran away. If it hadn't been for Master Xehanort, Eraqus would have disowned him. But now that he's back, he's on a tight leash."

When the memory of his lip sync performance filtered through Sora's head, he winced. He remembered Axel's murderous glance. The way the man held Roxas' palm as if clutching him back. When Sora recalled running his lips up Roxas' arm and the way Roxas had embraced him and descended into sobs after the show finished, a stone dropped through the pit of his stomach. He clutched his ribs and glanced towards Ventus in horror.

"Have... did I get him in trouble?" he gulped. Ventus shot him a narrow eyed stare. Then he shrugged and said Roxas could look after himself.

"He'll probably be forbidden from touching or talking to you," Ventus sighed. "His classes may get switched. I guess worst would be expulsion."

"No!" Sora gasped, pressing every part of himself towards Ventus in desperation. "It's my fault," he pleaded. "I'll do anything, I can't, please-"

Before he could finish, a thunderous knock threatened to break the door. Ventus froze from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He and Sora stared each other down. There was another booming knock. The sound of something sliding against the frame's outer layer. Then silence. Sora gulped. Ventus mouthed for him to put on his clothes. Now. Sora scrambled into his briefs and shorts. As he reached for his shirt, his foot hit an upright book and knocked it over.

"Ventus," sang a voice outside. "I can hear you. Open the motherfucking door."

Ventus cursed under his breath. Sora tore his shirt over his head as fast as he could, shoving on his socks and shoes just as Ventus called that he was coming. As Ventus fixed his top and smoothed his trousers, Sora fled to the darkened part of the room closest to the desk. He swiveled on his heel and clasped Terra's old practice blade in his hands, running his fingers down its frame as if examining it closely. As he wiped sweat from his brow, Ventus opened the door and donned a cool smile. Sora winced as he bit his tongue. Draped across the doorway like a sphinx, hung Vanitas. For a moment he winked and grinned, driving his tongue like a snake's between his barely parted teeth. His cheeks shone deep rose. His golden eyes twinkled with lust. A blush spread from his chin to his chest.

"Fuck am I so turned on," he breathed as he lolled his head back. Ventus' cheeks pinked. He wet his lips. Sora shuffled as far into the shadows as he could. As the rubber of his shoes shifted across the hardwood floor, Vanitas snapped to attention and whipped his glance in the noise's direction. When he met Sora's eye, his brows rose in shock. Sora forced a nod of greeting. Vanitas' gaze narrowed as it traveled down. Sora breathed through his nose to clamp the screech crawling up his throat. Once Vanitas made full orbit of his body, he turned to Ventus and grinned.

"You fucking Mr. Bisexual, now?" he asked in a purr. Ventus let out a forced chuckle.

"No, Vanitas, just showing him my room."

"Then why's he wearing your shirt?"

The pair stared each other down. Sora's gaze snapped down his front. As soon as his eyes met the black and white printed t-shirt that had graced Ventus' chest not ten minutes ago, his knees went weak. Ventus opened and closed his mouth. Then he gave a strange, guilty giggle. Vanitas' eyes narrowed further. His brows crinkled over the bridge of his nose. His nostrils flared. His cheeks transformed from rose to crimson. He cocked his head to the side. A growl rumbled at the base of his throat, sculpted into syllables by his curious grin.

"What are you doing, Sora?" he asked. His voice made Sora's teeth chatter. Vanitas' mouth hung wide in expectation. Then he barked like a dog. Sora tumbled against Ventus' desk in confusion. When the ravenette attempted advancing on him, Ventus embraced him and asked what was wrong. Vanitas leered and clamped his fists around Ventus' forearms, cinching them to his ribs. Ventus squirmed under his grip as Vanitas peered Sora down his nose.

"I thought you were into Roxas," he inquired in a polite, controlled voice. Then his placid look crinkled into a malevolent grin. "Or were you imagining Ventus through all those kissing lessons?"

"No, I-" Sora advanced, faltering when Ventus met his eye. Vanitas watched the exchange with a mixture of revulsion and glee. When the sensation overtook him, he cackled and stretched his arms over his head, shoving Ventus aside to lean against the doorframe while pulling his black shirt up to wipe his face. Ventus' eyes settled down Vanitas' rippling bronze chest as if in a trance. When the skin disappeared beneath his shirt, he patted Ventus' cheek and sighed.

"Here I am thinking I'm the smoothest fuck in this school," he pouted. "But my apprentice hath duped me again!"

"Excuse me?" Sora hissed. Vanitas shot him a gaze of hatred. When Ventus reached for him, he smoothed over and winked.

"I'm disappointed, Ven," he said. "But I'm not surprised. If Sora crawled on me, I'd fuck him too."

"Vanitas, I wasn't fucking him!" Ventus screeched in objection. But Vanitas clamped his hand over the boy's lips and pierced Sora again.

"So I'm guessing the word "taken," is fluid, for you, termite?" he inquired. Sora opened and closed his mouth in befuddlement. Before he could respond, Vanitas added, "because unlike you, I don't nail guys behind their lovers' backs."

Without helping it Sora let out a bellowing laugh. Anger coursed from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head as he shoved Vanitas' hand from Ventus' mouth and stood chest to chest with him. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he snarled. Vanitas leaned away in feigned prostration.

"I only cheat with single people, Sora," he crooned with his hand held high. "Which is one step better than you."

"Wait, what?" bleated Ventus. Vanitas ignored him and did a little dance.

"If I really think about it, this is actually great for me!" he beamed. "Now I get to fuck the twin I like!"

Ventus' mouth dropped as his knees buckled in realization. Sora remained a step behind until after he caught Ventus and leaned him against the frame of the door. Before he could stand, Vanitas hunkered at his side and leaned towards his ear.

"Don't waste your time on this faggot," he cooed against his skin. "He's sloppy. I don't know if I'm fucking or swimming when I'm inside him."

"You monster!" Ventus screeched. "If it was that bad, why did you keep crawling back?"

Vanitas pierced him with a gaze of disgust. Then he shrugged.

"I won't be doing it again. Now that Terra's failed his Mark of Mastery, I don't have to kiss up to you and your daddy anymore. I'm a free man."

"Terra failed-?" Ventus started in horror, lunging towards Vanitas in an attempt to grab the collar of his shirt. Vanitas evaded him and bounded into the hallway amidst a stream of riotous laughter. When he turned he winked. Sora remained with mouth ajar and eyes wide as saucers, glued to the ground like a curving statue turned to stone under Vanitas' darting golden eyes. As the boy snorted in pity, he pinched Sora's cheek. When Sora shoved his hand down and advanced, Vanitas skipped back in glee.

"I forgot how stupid you actually are, Numb-ura," he drawled. "So let me spell it out for you. Van-i-tas-I-ri-no-is-fuck-ing-Rox-as-Er-a-qus. Got it yet?"

"What?" breathed Sora in horror. Vanitas let his hands fall to his sides and groaned in feigned exasperation.

"Minerva, you're slow," he said. "Looks like you and Ven are made for each other. Waiting for Ven to heat up is like opening five windows in internet explorer. Roxas is quick and tight as fuck. I don't know why I didn't nail him sooner."

Ventus lunged past Sora with a cry like a strangled animal. In a flash he summoned his key blade and aimed it for Vanitas' head. It sizzled like a torch with some forming magic spell. But before he could strike, Vanitas rammed him down with his own. Ventus' thin, curling weapon bounced and blistered into thin air as its owner thundered to the floor. All around him came the sounds of clicking metal locks. One by one, dorm doors opened and students peeped their heads out to see what was happening. As Vanitas stepped over Ventus and caught sight of the onlookers, he tapped his chin and bit his lip.

"Actually," he murmured just loud enough for Sora and Ventus to hear, "I think I'll fuck him right now." Then he sprung to his feet and sauntered towards the exit stairwell. Before he set his hands against the door jam, he swiveled around and leaned against the frame in affected thought.

"Say, termite," he called at the height of his voice. Sora's shoulders jutted up in anticipation as he stepped fully into the hall to stare at the ravenette.

"Should I tell Roxas you've been fucking Ventus before or after I enter?"

Sora's eyes widened in disbelief as he struggled to stand upright. "No," he breathed. Ahead of him, Vanitas cocked his head to the side.

"Before?" Vanitas chirped. Then he beamed. "Great idea!"

"He's lying," Sora roared as the ravenette burst into the stairwell. "He's a monster full of fucking lies!"

As one of the boys spying from their dorm doors padded to Ventus' side to see if he was alright, Sora lunged for the exit stairwell and swiveled around the concrete railing as well. Vanitas was already a whole flight beneath him. When he noticed Sora above, he beamed with joy and whizzed faster. As Sora roared for him to stop, he climbed right over the railing edge and leapt into the ravenette's arms. As the boy caught him and saved himself from tumbling further, Sora grabbed him by the throat and demanded that he look at him.

"No sex!" he insisted in a bellow, "Only kissing!"

"Alright, alright, Sora," Vanitas snickered as he clasped Sora around the waist. "I'll kiss you if you want- I can even stick my finger up your ass like I did at the warehouse."

In fury Sora slapped Vanitas across the face and roared that he meant Ventus. Though shocked rage pulsed through Vanitas' entire body, he contorted it into a simpering, doleful grin.

"Aw, Sora," he whined, clicking his tongue in feigned dejection. "I wish I could trust you, but like Minerva said during the drag show, people get dishonest when they're scared. How do I know you don't just want both twins to yourself?"

"I would never do that to Roxas," Sora swore. "I'm not like you!"

Vanitas grimaced and weighed the odds on either side of him.

"Let's see," he sucked through his teeth, padding at the place where Sora had hit him with elaborate winces. "Angry, violent, horny... tough call, Sora, but it's kind of looking like you are."

For a moment Sora clasped the ravenette's bronze brooding form in frozen shock. Then, as if shattered, he slipped his fingers up the back of Vanitas' shirt and pinned him to the wall, pressing his lips into his. Vanitas' eyes flew wide open. When he tried shoving Sora away, the brunette clung to him and begged him through tears.

"Don't tell him," he whispered close to the ravenette's ear. His breath shuddered as his leg brushed against the hulking boy's erection. He felt big. Sora ignored it and tried not to shake. "I'll do whatever you want, just don't tell him," he insisted. "He's too sick. Anything. I promise."

Vanitas pressed into Sora without any weight, leaning his chest back while his hips dug further between Sora's legs.

"Careful, termite," he growled beneath his breath in glee. "This is looking a lot like coercion."

"You know you want it," Sora snarled as he pinned himself closer. Vanitas' mouth cracked like a broken egg, eliciting a cry of almost orgasmic joy.

"Oh my gods, it's like looking in a fucking mirror!" he cackled, collapsing against the concrete wall behind him as he guffawed through tears. Though fear and desperation rolled through Sora so hard that shimmering black dots fogged his vision, he remained glued to Vanitas' side. When the bronze boy cupped between the brunette's legs and stroked his thumb back and forth, Sora leaned his head back and let his eyes flutter closed, eliciting a sigh that he hoped would make Vanitas forget Roxas altogether. The bronze boy glimmered down at him through beaded yellow eyes, giddy with delight. When he leaned in and kissed Sora, Sora responded with shivering, scrambling strokes. Then, Vanitas pulled away with bitten lip.

"As much as I want to take you up on this amazing fucking offer, Sora?" he cooed. "I really wanna see the look on Roxas' face when I tell him what you did." Then, the hand cupped around Sora's balls grabbed and pulled until the boy let him go. Once he was free, Vanitas bounded for the door to the second floor hallway like a jackal and swiveled around with a wink.

"And don't worry, Sora," he called up the stairs. "I'll fuck you some other time."

"No!" Sora screeched after him. Before he could follow Vanitas further, the boy opened the exit door and leaned towards Sora once more.

"And by the way?" he drawled. "You might wanna check on your fuck buddy. He gets suicidal when he's angry."

As confusion knitted Sora's brow and clung him to the steps, Vanitas disappeared. For a moment Sora balked in indecision. Then he lunged for the door Vanitas had sailed through. When his hands clasped around the metal bar at its center, he faltered. His gaze darted back up the stairs he had jumped down. Returned to the door. Returned to the stairs. Peeped out of the door's clear glass, trying to see if he could make out the entrance to the infirmary. Sora whined and fidgeted from one foot to the other. Then, with a roar of displeasure he lunged back up the steps three at a time until he burst into the boy's dorm hall. A group of students huddled around Ventus' door peered towards him. Sora recognized one as a kid from his class named Garth. The other two must have been freshmen. As Sora veered towards them with staggering breaths, their glances glazed with curiosity.

"Hey, he told me to tell you "you're welcome" for the key blade," one of the first years called as he approached.

"He said he's made sacrifices for you, too," Garth added with narrowed eyes. Sora ignored him and rammed against Ventus' door with his right fist. As he called the boy's name, the trio of onlookers folded their arms and waited in expectation. Their stares were infuriating, but the irritation was a drop in the ocean of what went through Sora's head now. Images of Roxas lying in the infirmary while Vanitas' violent, hulking form slithered towards him, smeared in his disgusting, malevolent grin, flooded through him like a maelstrom. In vain he attempted picturing Ventus in his room. Sitting at his desk. Laying on his bed. Lounging contentedly against the floor where he and Sora had lied. But his mind drew a dark void.

"Ventus," Sora bellowed. "Please, I need to make sure you're okay."

Fruitlessly he tried jiggling open the door. It was locked.

"Ventus," he begged, "Please, please respond to me. I need to talk to you."

Again he imagined Vanitas climbing into Roxas' bed. Whispering in his ear. Roxas swiveling up in horror. Beginning to cry. Vanitas kissing along his back, suddenly bare. Kissing down and down until his mouth buried itself between Roxas' legs, legs that looked like Ventus'. Ari being taken away by Reno and Eraqus. Naminé and the rest of the LGBTQ club leering down at Sora in disgust. Coco shaking her head in disappointment. Soddy holding out his hands and cooing that Sora had a problem with the word, "no." The unavoidable fear of being left alone hung off of each like a chain. One of the boys behind him called something about getting help from a teacher or Cid Hayes. Sora did not register. With gritted teeth he charged to the opposite wall, kicked off of it, and used the momentum to beat himself against the green door. The boys surrounding shouted for him to stop as he went for a second charge. On his third advance, the door opened and he thundered in, stopping himself only when he reached the bed. As he used the frame rungs to save himself from flying out the open window, Ventus shut his door and hurried towards him to help him up. Disoriented, Sora whipped back and forth without seeing. When Ventus' face appeared before his, cooing and shushing him, he blinked in fear and jammed their lips together, forcing Ventus across the sheets and against the wall. Ventus sucked in a shattered breath before clasping Sora behind the head and cinching his lips closer. Their mouths opened and their tongues curled together. Sora panted. Ventus breathed through his nose as he kissed along Sora's jaw. When Ventus reached for the dimples in Sora's back, Sora bit his lip and nuzzled his nose into the blond's neck in anxious wait. Roxas' scent filtered through his nose. He shut his eyes tighter.

Ventus' fingers kneaded the dimples hard. Sora whined and sucked along Ventus' jaw, pressing his nipples where he thought Ventus' were. Though two shirts hung between them, his body tingled as though it were bare. With a gasp Ventus pushed away and looked Sora in the eye. Sora stared at him through puffy, tear smeared lids. Ventus had been crying, too. But instead of chaos, his face reflected savagery.

"Do you actually like me?" he demanded.

"Why wouldn't you open the door?" Sora breathed.

"Why do you care?" Ventus spat. Sora shook his head in terror and begged that he had to know.

"Answer me and I'll answer you," Ventus hissed. Sora looked from one eye to the other in fear. Then, with trembling lip, he lied, "yes." Ventus shut his eyes and pressed the crown of his head to Sora's chest. Sora wrapped his arms around Ventus' back. They laid in silence for a moment, the breeze from the window biting as it settled over. Ventus sat up and rubbed his face dry. Sora kept his hand cinched tightly around the boy's thigh. As the blond cooled his cheeks with the back of his palms, Sora asked again why he had refused to open the door. Ventus shrugged, murmuring, "because I didn't want to."

"Oh," Sora whispered. Again, there was silence. Vanitas' parting words in the exit stairwell made Sora clutch at Ventus as if he were a porcelain doll. As Sora held him, the blond cleared his throat.

"Why did you come back?" he asked. Sora shrugged.

"I got scared." he said.

"For what?" scoffed Ventus.

"For you," Sora whispered, wishing that were all. Ventus stared at him with an inscrutable expression. Then he scooted forward and slipped his arms around Sora's neck. Sora leaned towards him and sniffed back a sob. Ventus shuddered above him. Together they laid down. Sora circled his grip around Ventus' waist. They grew closer. Ventus kicked his shoes off. Sora did the same. Then they entwined their legs and wrapped each other up, Sora circling his fingers around Ventus' back like Axel had done for him so long ago. As Sora closed his eyes and listened to Ventus' heartbeat, he remembered how good it was to be close to another human being. How swallowing it was to be singular. The more he listened to the push and pull of his companion's breath beneath his ribs, the more he thought of the waning tides of the sea, the more he thought of the raft, of rowing, of the islands, of eating chicken wings with Riku, of Olympus Coliseum, and then of the end of his first semester when Roxas had taken him to the Land of Departure's south beach for the first time.

~X~

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 **A/N: And shit hiteth the fan yet again- there will be a lot more of that in the next few chapters. Stay tuned and stay hopeful (lol)**


	25. Absence

**A/N: Thank you, anon, for your review!**

 **For those worrying, Roxas will come back. Sora will evolve. Bear with him!**

 **Please remember to FOLLOW, FAVORITE, AND REVIEW! It is such a great resource for me as the author. **

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Twenty Four_**

~X~

 _Semester Goals:_

 _1\. Get used to being sad alone._

 _2\. Get help from the right people._

 _3\. Eliminate Soddy and Bane-from-Hell._

 _4\. Repay Soddy for this notebook._

Sora gnawed the end of his pencil as he sat back in his desk chair. Last weekend Soddy had dropped off a "thoughts journal" in Mickey's office for Sora to write his "feelings" in. The fact that Mickey told Sora he had one too did not soften the blow. When Mickey handed him a brand new felt pen as well and Sora asked if it was from Soddy too, the mouse said no. But Sora had trouble believing him. Even so, he forced himself to journal and to his dismay, found it surprisingly therapeutic. So far he had spilled pages upon pages about Roxas, Ventus, Vanitas, and Ari. Occasionally Riku, Naminé, Reno, and Kairi made it in as well. Sora liked to start with a lamentation on the fact that the journal was from Soddy. After, he would delve into every hope, fear, and paralyzing sensation gripping him daily. The more he expelled, the more he realized he needed a backpack. Carrying the journal around in the old book belt Joshua lent him last year felt like trundling out of the house without pants on. He had even taken to hiding it in the hem of his trousers. Visions of Vanitas slipping past and digging down his shorts in search of his deepest, darkest secrets made him so jumpy he could hardly veer a corner without glancing over his shoulder. He consoled himself with the fact that there were only three weeks left till combat finals and four weeks till the end of the semester. Finally, after a year and a half in the Land of Departure, he would be able to return home. More and more, that was what filled his entries the most. He dreamed of the Besaid Sea, of Wakka's dad's trawler, of what his mother would say when she saw him, of how the other island kids would ask what he was doing at school, of how cool it would be if Yuna invited he and Tidus to her studio in Luca. Of blitzball tournaments, sea adventures, rafts, paopu ice cream, rollerblading, and skating to the pier. Surfing, deep sea diving, even volleyball. Every vision burned into Sora's skin like brands. Often, between classes, he would pretend an ocean churned beneath the forecourt, right past the stone walls surrounding, stretching in blue satin waves for miles. He'd roll around the grass and stare up as if he was sitting on the dunes near the secret place, reminding himself that the sunlight he winced past now belonged to the same sun shining upon Destiny Islands.

A strange cleft, like an invisible black hole, dug into every room Roxas used to frequent.

He remained absent from class and the dorm. When no one else was around, Sora would sneak up the boy's bunk and smell his pillow, sheets, and comforter in gusts, imagining he was smelling Roxas himself. But it was never the same. The day Ari took all the bedclothes to the laundry room against Sora's knowledge was a shock to the system. Sora knew the replica had done it as a charity trip. But it did not stop him from stomping over and attacking the replica's bare mattress as if it were Ari himself. After spending all his strength and becoming paralyzed by the fear that he may never smell Roxas' body again, Sora burst into tears. Then he skipped class, mumbling that he was sick when the replica asked. When Sora tried hiding out under his covers the day after, Ari threatened to tell Soddy. From then on, someone was always checking up on him. Between classes it was Tifa. Between clubs it was a mix of LGBTQ members, including Kairi and Naminé, and in the dorm it was Ari. After school, it was Hercules or Leon and his gang. Cloud even invited him to the senior "fight club" he had been spirited into by Zack the year before. It was really just a bunch of post pubescent boys vying to see who had the most testosterone. But the struggle was fun. In between all of that, he engaged office hours with Coco, Mickey, Luxord, Reno, and Soddy. Though he would never admit it to anyone but himself, Soddy was an excellent teacher. Ineffably patient, understanding, and inventive, Sora found himself improving miles under his tutelage when Mickey was too busy with the school's other key blade wielders to grant him extra time. The only downside to the arrangement was that Soddy seemed to think he and Sora were becoming "friends." Discussions of Riku and the outer world turned into excuses for Soddy to ask how Sora was "doing," and if he was "creating a healthy mental space." Sometimes Sora considered blurting out everything that had happened with Ventus and Roxas in great detail, just to shock the fiend. Instead, he opted for silence.

Now, as he thought of winter jobs he could get when he went back to Destiny Island for vacation, Argento's stopwatch alarm sounded. Sora clicked it off and gathered his things. Then, with a sigh, he stretched and lumbered towards his morning class. Today was a B day, otherwise known as "Mickey Mode," as Sora was one of the few students in his class whose element and weapon were the same as the Mouse's. He sauntered through the dorm corridor with a skip in his step, bursting into the exit stairwell and hopping down two steps at a time until he made it to the second floor. Once he reached the mouse's office he furrowed his brows. The door was locked. In confusion Sora glanced from one end of the hall to the other. Then, on gut instinct, he slipped back through the exit stairwell and whizzed towards the grand hall. When he got there and peeped inside, he saw the entirety of the key blade wielding junior class bar Roxas huddled around the thrones at the room's head. Stationed before them were Mickey, Eraqus, Master Xehanort, Yen Sid, Soddy, and Aqua. When they glanced towards him in curiosity, Sora gaped and hurried in in embarrassment. Mickey beamed. Eraqus' lip curled. Aqua scoffed in exasperation. Soddy remained motionless as Yen Sid gave a low chortle.

"Well, better late than never," Mickey said. Soddy stood at his arm. When the mouse winked at him, he glowed with joy.

"I'm sorry," Sora blustered. "I came down from your office. I thought you were in the bathroom."

"I put a sign on the door, Sora," the mouse responded. Sora's shoulders sagged. There had been no sign. When he spied Nimo's bent, snickering form, he narrowed his eyes and said he must have missed it.

"Well, maybe someone tore it away by accident," Mickey responded, shooting Nimo a bright grin. Nimo's smirk wiped away as he straightened. The mouse continued.

"As you all know, I've been busy as a cow's tail in fly time these past few weeks," he explained, "and if anyone knows me at all, they know I hate missing stuff. I won't fib, I love driving out on a good ol' fashioned adventure more than steaming down Disney River. But if it means missing time with you kiddos, count me out. Even so? When the world calls, as a key blade wielder and follower of light, I answer. That's why I've gathered you kids together. I have something to tell you that I've kept close to my heart for quite some time..."

As Mickey struggled over what followed, Soddy sent him silent, beaming encouragement. The endearment confused Sora. Soddy stared at Mickey like a son staring at his father. Well, save for the fact that Mickey was the size of a small child and Soddy towered just over six feet.

"I've never placed much value in standardized tests," Mickey snapped with new vigor. "I don't think they serve as an accurate measurement of the capacity of a human being. I think the real test is being in the thick of something, and I've carried this through every adventure I've experienced, from the time I worked for crumbs and tuppence on Master Pete's steamboat through the day I assumed leadership over Disney City and on. I've never needed a certificate to prove my worth. But I do believe in milestones. If a certificate represents a milestone that tells me I'm ready to guide a young person along the same journey I carved, and when that young person comes to me pleading for help, I answer."

Sora thought he saw Soddy duck his head and stifle a sheepish grin. It made him grit his teeth.

"That's why I've gathered you all here," Mickey continued. "To tell you that I'll be leaving for awhile."

Suspension on the verge of a collective gasp captured his entire audience. Mickey let it settle. Then he trudged on.

"In two days I will begin my Mark of Mastery, which will be proctored by my dear friend and mentor Yen Sid. I plan to return during winter break or during the first week back. The way things are rolling nowadays, you can never be too sure what will happen next. I don't want to make any grandiose plans, but I do want to give you something to look forward to. I'm sorry I had to do this. But right now, we need as many key blade masters as we can get. That's why it's up to all of you to work twice as hard, be twice as vigilant, and most importantly? To be twice as kind, hopeful, and selfless as you were when I was here." With that, Mickey looked into the eyes of each and every one of his students and comrades. When he settled on Sora, his gaze twinkled. The guilt that had perched its nest on Sora's shoulder since the Drag Show made him avert his gaze.

"And if there's one thing I want you to remember more than anything, it's this:" Mickey said softly. "Helping others should always come before asking others for help. We're all safe and sound and free to choose. So there's no reason we shouldn't choose to help our friends. And a friend should be anyone you meet along the way. We all need kindness and a shoulder to cry on, I'm not saying anything different. But if we took notice of the sagging shoulders and trembling lips around us and reached out to understand more often, what a peaceful world this would be."

"I respect and value every one of you," he continued. "Every flaw can be a gift if we figure out how it helped us survive in the first place." A smile twitched across Sora's mouth in spite of him. When Mickey saw it he beamed and glanced out again.

"I know all of you must be relieved to get a break from this old timer," he explained. "So I've brought in some handy replacements to teach you while I learn to walk the walk. Master Eraqus will cover my element tutoring. Master Holland will take over my weapon classes. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness will act as her assistant, and she his supervisor. He will be present at every one of your lessons and will be a valuable resource in terms of technique and raw gumption."

Soddy gazed upon Mickey with almost inhuman pleasure, his ecstasy thinly veiled behind pursed lips and narrowed eyes. Aqua attempted not to smile as well, but once "Master" and "Holland" rolled off of Mickey's tongue in the same sentence, her beam of pride proved uncontainable. Until then, Sora had not noticed the steel blue pantsuit she wore for the occasion, offset quite painfully by Soddy's black leather "teaching" pants, combat boots, and crumpled white button up. She was in silver heels as well, with pointed toes, steel talons, and tiny metal crescents on either side similar to the wings of her combat uniform boots. The sun caught her cheek as she turned to accept the congratulatory applause ringing around her and Sora noticed she was wearing makeup. She took Soddy's hand with a laugh. Soddy whispered something in her ear that made her nod with enthusiasm, as if both of them had received an award and were working out who would perform their acceptance speech first.

"Now because your faculty is just a bunch of secret party nuts," Mickey sang over the hubbub, "we're all taking Master Holland and Ansem for lunch to celebrate their new positions and the school's freedom from my shenanigans. In the meantime, though, I want you all to be vigilant."

Suddenly, the room fell quiet. Mickey's smile was gone. So was Soddy's. Aqua peeked around in shock at the sudden change in temperature, but decorated herself to suit the situation in a flash. When Mickey was certain he had recaptured everyone's attention, he resumed.

"Darkness bathes itself in everything we do," he said. "It drifts beneath our fingers when we shake a friend's hand, it snuggles between us when we hug someone we love, it surrounds us as we dream, and every time we turn on a light, its shadow grows bigger. I may never figure out the answer to it, but right now, I can see patterns in the ways it weasels into people's hearts. And one of those patterns is judgement. I want us all to make a pact right now not to judge each other, each others' circumstances, or ourselves. Let's keep our minds and hearts open for the warmth we can give to others. The past is in the past. The future is far away. But this moment is now. And we can catch it by the horns only when we work together. And that's all I have to say about that," he finished, turning towards Aqua with a beaming nod. When Aqua realized he was waiting for her to dismiss class, she jumped up and clapped her hands together with glee.

"I'd like us all meet back here after lunch," she explained. "I've already asked your element teachers to let me keep you for about thirty minutes just so I can hand out a new syllabus and tell you about myself. In fact, if you could all read over it before then and come with questions, we can get straight to work," she added, tapping Soddy on the arm. Within moments he was passing out thick packets. Sora averted his gaze when the fiend passed him his copy, feigning interest in the massive rose window at the room's head. Soddy froze and stifled a groan. Then he was back at Aqua's side, class was dismissed, and the remaining professors huddled at the hall's head while their students charged to freedom. Sora glanced from face to face in anxiety, lost for what to do next. When he noticed Ventus hovering towards him out of the corner of his eye, he bolted to the professor closest and asked if he could talk to him for five minutes. When Mickey turned and chirped that he would love to talk, Sora beamed and clung to his four inch form. He could feel Ventus watching him. When the boy's gaze disappeared, he relaxed. Then, he and Mickey lumbered with Yen Sid and Soddy towards his office. As they filed up the stairs, Mickey asked what was troubling Sora. Sora shrugged and muttered that he was just curious about something.

"What would that be?" asked Mickey. Sora glanced towards Soddy in distaste before mumbling unintelligibly.

"What?" asked Mickey again. A glimmer of impatience ruffled his voice. Sora scowled and shuffled back and forth.

"He doesn't want me around," Soddy said flatly, turning. "I'll leave." But Mickey caught his arm.

"You're going to be teaching him for four weeks, my friend," the mouse insisted. "So now's as well a time to get to know him as any."

"I think we know each other pretty well," Sora muttered in return. Mickey's ensuing glance made him wilt.

"Remember that nice conversation I just had with all of you regarding the definition of friends, Sora?" the mouse warned. "Well, now is an excellent time to put that definition into practice."

"But it's about something private, Mickey!" Sora blurted out. As soon as the words left his mouth, Soddy puffed up like a ballon and commanded Sora to address the mouse by the correct title.

"I'll call him what I want, Ansem," Sora snapped back without thinking. When Mickey gasped and Yen Sid let out a low, rumbling, "ah," Sora whipped around and hunkered to avoid stepping on the bomb he had inadvertently set off. When he met Mickey's eye again, the mouse was glowering.

"Mister Nomura," Mickey intoned. "You are staring at three men senior to you not only in age, but in experience and chain of command. All of us have received the titles of professor, king, or master for a reason. And regardless of your opinion of us, we all deserve your respect-"

"I'm sorry, your highness, I really am!" Sora returned in a blubber. "If I forget a title, it- it's just because I like you!"

"Sora, you know very well that that is not true!" Mickey returned like a bullet. "I don't think I've ever heard you mutter even a whisper of a prefix before Professor Ansem's name."

Sora decided it was best not to reveal the clever nickname he had come up with for the fiend. Instead, he faltered through a failed attempt to explain his lack of respect. When the words "dream quest," passed his lips, Mickey shot him down with the swipe of a paw and the shake of his head.

"I said not ten minutes ago that the past was in the past," the mouse explained. "And that we've got to think of everyone as our friend until they prove otherwise-"

"But-"

"-And dream quest or not, he is your professor and a very good friend of mine, so I'm going to need you to treat my friend with the respect he deserves. And then I'm going to need you to tell me what you came up here to tell me to begin with. And make it fast, because I'm feeling peckish for lunch!"

"Bu, be, bah," Sora began, glancing from Soddy's trembling lip to Mickey's careful glance to Yen Sid's ominous glower with weakening resolve. He had really just followed the trio to escape Ventus. But right as his resolve left him, he found himself asking about becoming Mickey's apprentice. As soon as the words left him, Soddy's jaw jammed shut and his spirit shrunk to half its size. Mickey and Yen Sid shared a meaningful glance. Then Mickey asked Sora what he meant.

"I-I mean that once you, once you become master-"

"Sora, I haven't even started my exam, yet."

"Well, well say you do... if you were to pass, would you let me become your apprentice?" Sora insisted. As Mickey and Yen Sid glanced towards each other again, the idea settled over Sora's heart like a bud, growing until he realized it was actually possible. When he leaned over Mickey nearly bursting with glee, Mickey stepped back and muttered that he was not at liberty to make that decision right now.

"You were just saying earlier that we need as many key blade masters as possible," Sora insisted. "I know Eraqus is continuing with Ventus and Terra, and Master Yen Sid just left retirement to teach you-"

"Eraqus is a master as well, Sora, and should be titled as such," Yen Sid rumbled behind him. "And beware your assumptions of us, lest those assumptions prove true."

Nodding like he understood what Yen Sid meant, Sora insisted that he would be an excellent student.

"I work really hard when I set my mind to it, and I can be courteous when I need to, and I always help my friends-"

Soddy snorted behind him and shook his head. Sora resisted the urge to punch his lights out. When Mickey noticed his glare, the mouse cut the conversation short and snapped that he had already made the same promise to someone else. Sora swiveled towards him in confusion.

"What?" he balked.

"I've already promised to apprentice someone else if I become master, Sora," the mouse responded. Sora racked his brains to figure out who it was. Terra? No. Ventus? Maybe. Roxas? Was that why he was absent from class? But it could have been anyone. Nimo? If Soddy could wrap the mouse around his grubby tan finger enough for the king to call him a "friend," so could Master Xehanort's grandson.

"Who is it?" Sora asked in desperation. Mickey pointed him a glowering nod. Then, he murmured, "honest to goodness, Sora? I don't think you'd know him if he stared you in the face."

Sora scoffed in confusion, glancing around him for a helping hand. When he fell under Soddy's sunken gaze, his shoulders sagged. A cleft cut through his heart that he could not explain. Before he could figure it out, a familiar steel blue pantsuit swept passed him to ask the trio surrounding if they were ready to leave. Yen Sid announced that he found constant readiness to depart an excellent quality. Soddy agreed with a weak chuckle. Mickey sighed and murmured that he would be ready shortly. Then he returned his gaze to Sora.

"I come from a tradition of masters who apprentice people familiar and compassionate with the trials darkness drags up. People who are really ready to take an honest look at themselves and who are in it for the people they love."

"But, your majesty," Sora insisted through tears he had not known were coming. "I- that's the only reason I'm here at all! For my friends! I'd do anything for them, I'd even die!"

Before he could say another word, Mickey clasped his gloved hands around Sora's shoulders and cooed him quiet. Then, he beamed.

"The best way for you to help your friends now, Sora?" he intoned. "Is to study mercy."

Then he, Aqua, and Yen Sid blew past like leaves on the breeze. Soddy lingered at Sora's side. Once Sora was sure it was only the two of them, he groaned and collapsed on the steps, settling his head in his hands. After enduring several minutes of Soddy's lowering presence, he snapped an apology for disrespecting him. Soddy responded with silence. Then, he murmured that it was alright.

"You're going through a difficult time," he acquiesced. "Slip ups are understandable."

"No one should take their anger out on anyone else," Sora spat in return. Silence returned. Guilty, Sora inquired in his best student voice if Soddy had any advice for him. For a moment the fiend stared out. Then he asked if Sora had gotten into a fight with Ventus and Vanitas. On hearing the names, Sora reared back in shock. Then he demanded to know how Soddy had found out. Soddy shrugged.

"With an argument and opponents that vocal, word spreads like wildfire," he said flatly.

"Well if you're that sure of yourself, why did you have to ask me-" Sora began, but Soddy cut him off with a raised hand and insisted that he did not want to argue.

"If the rumors are true and you really do want my advice," he stated, "you'll stay clear of both of them."

"You think I'm not doing that already?" Sora growled. Soddy shut his eyes and breathed through his nose. Then he continued in a measured tone, "if you cannot steer clear of them, you should make a clear and pointed effort towards controlling your impulses."

"And you have great experience with controlling your impulses?" Sora intoned. Soddy puffed up in indignation.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," he insisted. "When I find myself in a situation where my impulses hinder my goals, I close my eyes, camp out in my mind's safe place, and remind myself why I came here to begin with."

"Your mind's 'safe place'?" Sora scoffed as if Soddy were telling him a story about unicorns with puppy paws. Soddy's shoulders shot up.

"Yes," he stated, continuing, "it's a psychological practice where you create a room in your brain for gathering your strength whenever you find yourself in a physically compromising situation. Naminé was the one who taught it to me, funny enough."

"So the room can be whatever you want?" Sora asked, curiosity easing his vitriol. When Soddy noticed it, he grinned and nodded with vigor.

"Exactly!" he explained. "For me, I chose a place from my childhood, but it can be imaginary if you want it to. And you can put whatever you want in it. For example, Naminé fills hers with paper and pastels, but mine just has white chalk, and just enough sun to where you can see everything without being blinded by the light."

"Because you prefer the darkness," Sora intoned, eyes narrowing with returning suspicion. Soddy shrugged and murmured that he preferred a bit of both. His eyes twinkled as a new image popped into his head.

"It's like the chill just before dawn, when everything is brightening up in a pastel, kind of washed out way. Just as everything is coming into focus- that's when everything's strongest. The smells, the sounds, the taste, the touch of everything. Makes you think anything is possible."

"Sounds like a nice place to go," Sora murmured. Soddy's ensuing laugh took him aback.

"Too nice, sometimes," the fiend said with a sigh. "I've got to limit the amount of time I spend there, because it's just not the same as visiting for real. Though I suspect now, I'd hardly even be able to fit through the way in..."

Grief swallowed Soddy's words. Sora stared as the man dug himself out of it. Half out of pity, he asked if Soddy knew anything about Roxas. Soddy groped for a response, eventually mumbling that Organization Thirteen and Eraqus knew better than anyone else.

"If I thought it would help you, I would tell you," he added. "But if he wants to keep his distance, for now, I'd let him."

"I'm not going to pounce on him," Sora snapped. "I was just curious." A sliver of him wondered if Soddy knew exactly what he had done with Ventus and Vanitas.

"Well, if I don't go to lunch soon, the king will leave without me," Soddy burst suddenly. Then he swiveled on his heel and hurried down the stairs. Just when he reached the ground hall, he stopped and hesitated. Like a flash he was back at Sora's side, bending close to him with a wary glance. When Sora met him with an equally careful gaze, Soddy asked if Sora went to the Flynns for advice often. Aghast, Sora blubbered that he had stopped going to Axel sometime before the drag show. Soddy beamed.

"That's good," he insisted. "King Mickey and Master Yen Sid are better resources, anyway."

Sora scowled at the thought of sobbing his deepest secrets to Yen Sid. "Mickey's going to be gone for two months and Yen Sid is old as dirt," he mumbled.

"What's the matter with being old?" Soddy inquired.

"I'd need a lexicon to understand Yen Sid!" barked Sora.

"That's because he doesn't believe in easy answers!" Soddy insisted.

"Well, I like easy answers!" Sora shot back. "I don't want to invest in a key blade master translator just to get a bit of relationship advice!"

"What teacher gives relationship advice?" Soddy barked.

"Just because you don't get along with anyone doesn't mean I can't consider Axel and Reno friends," Sora insisted.

"Your teachers aren't your buddies, Sora."

"So I all of a sudden can't be friends with Aqua because she's a teacher now?"

"She's a master now, so you need to treat her with respect. She's also eighteen and Axel is twenty five."

"Well how old are you, and don't you want me to consider you a friend?"

"Well, I," Soddy blubbered, folding in on himself. Then, with new determination, he thundered, "no, Sora, I'd just like you to treat me like- like Argento!"

"Argento?" Sora snapped. Soddy nodded with vigor. "You came to her whenever you worried you were losing your way, right? Whenever you felt your personal life was interfering with your goal of becoming a hero?"

"Well she was just the same as Axel!" Sora returned. "Except that I never asked her for relationship advice because she wouldn't have given me an answer!"

"Exactly!" Soddy beamed with a clap. "Because she was a professional, Sora! She treated her position with respect! Organization Thirteen doesn't have a clue how to treat young adults- didn't she tell you not to trust them, either?"

"How would you know?" Sora gasped. "Were you spying on me then, too?"

"I-" Soddy began. Before he could finish, a voice rang up the stairs with his name. He jumped as he glanced over the balcony beside the grand hall towards it. When he met Aqua's smile, the frown gripping his brows melted away.

"You still coming to lunch?" she asked from the front hall. "Yen Sid and Mickey decided to walk ahead already."

"I'm coming right now," Soddy replied. The tone he used on Aqua was surprisingly soft. After shooting Sora a pleading glance, he whizzed towards her and folded his hands in his pockets at her side. As his shoulder brushed against hers, she blushed and chuckled, eyeing the chest hair peeking out of his crinkly white button up. Sora fumed as he watched them leave. Then, just to spite Soddy, he swiveled for the exit stairwell and hiked towards the attic. When he got there, he turned for the familiar office at its center and rapped against the door with his fist. As he waited for an answer, he wondered what he would ask. Just as the door opened, his fingers closed around Roxas' iPod in his pocket. When he met Axel's surprised eyes, he gave a forceful smile. Then he asked if he had five minutes. Axel paused. Then he shrugged and murmured that he was free until two. Sora nodded and followed him in, keeping a wary distance as if he was crossing the threshold into a lion's den. He half expected Axel to attack him over his behavior at the drag show, but the man seemed to be in an unnaturally good mood. He practically skipped to his desk. When he settled down and indicated for Sora to sit in front of him, Sora did so without making a sound. Then he took a deep breath and set Roxas' iPod before Axel's eyes. When Axel glanced down at the metal, his smile wiped away as fast as it had been strong. He glowered at Sora from beneath his brows. Sora pointed back with a cool glance. When Axel asked what Sora was trying to say, Sora asked if the iPod had been from him. Axel's eyes widened. His fists closed. His jaw clenched. He gave a nervous chuckle and said he did not know what Sora meant.

"You got this for Roxas for his birthday, right?" Sora asked. "Ventus told me."

"Did he," Axel said in a flat tone. Sora nodded. Axel lowered his glance and groaned. Then he rubbed his palms across his forehead and asked Sora what he was going to do about it. Sora shrugged. Then, coughing, he asked if Axel had made friends with Roxas on his advice. Axel's attention snapped up. He stared Sora down in confusion. Then he asked him to repeat himself.

"Remember that day I ate your chicken wrap and told you you should be friends with Roxas because you were friends with me?" Sora elaborated. "Well... you must have taken my advice... because you got Roxas an iPod."

Axel gaped at Sora as if he had elephant ears. "But..." he stumbled, "Sora, Roxas' birthday is in the summer."

"What?" Sora blubbered. Axel's mouth clamped tight as he muttered, "nothing." But Sora's eyes widened as his mind began working.

"He told you he hadn't gotten a present since he was nine, didn't he?" he gasped. "So it must have been belated, right?"

Axel's look became more and more confounded. Then, as if a brick of realization had pounded him right above his nose, he shut his eyes and bellowed, "oh!" Then, grinning in a sheepish way, he sighed that Sora was right. Sora beamed and straightened, asking when Axel had started talking to him.

"Pretty much right after you told me to," Axel sighed with a shrug. "Mind you, Sora, as a professor I'm not supposed to have intimate friendships with students."

"Right!" Sora barked in triumph, jumping up as if digging his feet into Soddy's self aggrandizing head. "Because you're a real professional!"

"... Yeah," Axel returned with hesitance, leaning back against Sora's aggressive bounds in careful curiosity. Sora clapped his hands and sat down again, giddy with joy. Without thought, he blurted out, "because Soddy was saying you weren't a good teacher."

"Soddy?" Axel repeated. Sora scoffed and corrected, "Ansem."

"You shouldn't call him Soddy, Sora, that's disrespectful," Axel returned in a warning tone. Sora clapped his hands again, aghast with delight that Soddy could have dreamed Axel was a bad teacher at all. Before he could speak again, Axel insisted that he did not speak with Roxas much.

"He's a busy student, but he did come to me for advice every once in a while, and I did feel sorry about the birthday thing, you know?" he explained with a gaze of pity. "I mean, you'd buy him an iPod, if you could, too, right?"

Sora nodded with vigor, blurting that he would put a lot of Alicia Keys on it for him. Axel gave a light chuckle in return. Then he shrugged and said Roxas probably had all the Alicia Keys in the universe on it already. Sora chuckled and agreed with him. Then he asked if the battered up iPod Roxas had been using during the midterm had been Axel's as well. Axel raised his hands like a criminal being cuffed. Then he grinned and sighed, "you got me!" Sora laughed out loud.

"So since you're good friends with him, now, do you know where he is?" he blustered. Axel's smile disappeared again. Grinding his teeth, he tapped his finger to his chin and asked why Sora wanted to know.

"I mean, we're friends!" Sora began, trailing off towards the end when Axel's responding expression layered over memories of Ventus. Uncomfortable, he drifted into silence. For a moment Axel examined him. Then he beamed and said that Roxas was doing great.

"Really?" Sora breathed. "He's not mad at me for anything? Has- has Vanitas been bothering him?"

Axel shrugged and murmured that if he had, Roxas hadn't told him anything. Sora's shoulders relaxed further. Perhaps Vanitas had been lying after all. Suddenly, Sora felt stupid for kissing him. It had been a waste.

"Recovering like a charm," Axel continued with a singsong sigh. "And I think, for his mental health, you should stay away from him."

"Huh?" Sora breathed, feeling his heart plunk through his ribs. When he could not respond, Axel continued, "but I did hear through the grapevine that you've been seeing Ventus!"

"Huh," Sora repeated, this time as if he had been stabbed. He wobbled to standing as he attempted through a stutter to tell Axel that he had not meant to hurt anyone.

"Hurt anyone?" Axel snapped. Then he snorted. "Sora, I think it's great!"

"You..." Sora faltered, "you do?"

"Yeah!" Axel returned.

"And... and Roxas doesn't mind?" asked Sora, hoping guiltily that he did. But Axel shook his head. "Doesn't mind a bit. It's great, really! It'll give him space and it'll really help Ventus."

"Help... Ventus?" Sora said through a haze. Axel nodded, putting on a frown as he shook his head.

"Poor Aqua was saying a while back that she was afraid he may have been involved with Vanitas," he sighed.

"Huh," Sora said flatly. Axel chuckled obliviously.

"I personally thinks she confides too much in strangers," he announced. Then he cocked his head to the side and tapped his temple. "But, I think Ansem will be good for her. Organization Thirteen will be saved from hearing about her personal life."

"So..." Sora redirected, ignoring Axel's previous statement, "how am I helping Ventus?"

Axel stared at Sora again, this time with a strange expression. It was one of consideration, of bated breath and disinclination. Then, surrendering, he reached out and clasped Sora's hand.

"You wouldn't hate me for being selfish, would you, Sora?" he intoned. His eyes widened like a panther's at dusk as his smile crinkled up. Sora stared at him, wanting to say no. But something held him back. The way Soddy's eyes rolled whenever Sora argued with him, as if begging Sora to admit his idiocy, pasted itself around the back of his head until he gritted his teeth and spit out that he would never hate Axel at all. In return Axel grinned.

"You know how Marluxia used to say you were like Vanitas?" he asked. Sora held his breath and muttered that Vanitas seemed to think they were alike, too. But Axel held up a hand.

"That's not what I'm saying, Sora," he warned. "I'm saying that the reason people compare the two of you is because you're one of the only people who's strong enough to stand up to him."

Sora blinked at Axel in wonder. Something in him cracked. When he opened his mouth to speak, he clapped his free hand over it to keep from crying. "R-really?" he whispered. Axel gave a curt nod. When Sora sobbed he relinquished his hand and glanced away. The gesture prickled.

"I don't like to see you sad, Sora," Axel intoned coolly. Sora sniffed and wiped away his tears, taking measured breaths to regain control. When he glanced towards him again, Axel softened.

"Everything that has happened between the two of you has informed who you are. And that's why Ventus needs your help."

"He- he does?" Sora asked in befuddlement. Axel nodded.

"He's not well, Sora," he insisted. "And I think Vanitas takes advantage of that."

"I don't doubt that," Sora returned. "But what about Aqua, or Terra? Isn't there someone else who could..."

"Doesn't Mickey always say that thing about helping others before helping yourself?" Axel cut in. Sora faltered into silence with a nod. Axel nodded, continuing, "I mean, this is a great way to turn around what you did to Roxas at the drag show."

"But I feel like every time I'm with Ventus, I get a piece of myself taken away," Sora whined in desperation. Axel held up his hand again.

"Sora, that's life," he snapped. "Heroes make sacrifices. And it's not as if he's forcing you to do anything you don't want to do, right? You're bigger than him, anyway, aren't you?"

"I think we're... we're about the same size..." Sora gulped. Axel smiled again.

"There you go. He doesn't have to be anything but a friend. And who knows, after a while you might discover you really like him."

"But..." Sora continued, leaned towards Axel in turmoil. But the man turned away to pick a piece of paper from the floor and glance at his watch. When he saw the time, he gasped, realizing out loud that he had a meeting he had to prepare for.

"But you said you were free till-"

"I know, Sora, I messed up and I'm sorry," he chirped, "but we can always talk again."

"O-Okay." Sora mumbled. As he stood and reached for Roxas' iPod, Axel swept it from his hands. Sora whipped out and caught his palm before he could slip the device into his pocket. When he asked for it back, Axel rose an eyebrow and asked why. Sora stuttered over excuses, but none came out in full sentences.

"It's Roxas' iPod, isn't it?" Axel asked. "I think he'd want it back."

"Well, but he did say I could borrow it," Sora gulped, clasping at the metal gripped tightly in Axel's palm as if it held his heart.

"He didn't say you could keep it," Axel insisted. "So I'm going to give it back to him."

"No, I wanted to-" Sora tried not to beg. But Axel eluded his grip and sheathed the iPod in his coat. Then he swiveled around his desk, clamped his hand on Sora's shoulder, and led him from his office like a sleepwalking child. Sora did not even hear him say goodbye. Like a stringless puppet he hobbled down the staircase past the grand hall. The closer he got to the double doors leading inside, the more he became aware of a set of voices whispering from within. Feeling the wall beside him for support, he leaned his ear close to get a better listen. A familiar cackle made his blood curdle. It's responder's voice rang deep and gravelly, not immediately placeable. At first their words were unintelligible. But the harder Sora concentrated, the more their conversation came into focus.

"I'll be glad when that rodent is gone," snarled Vanitas. "Aqua and the imposter are idiots."

His companion warned him in a chuckle to speak lower. For a moment they whispered. Then Vanitas cackled again, lamenting that it had been too bad they lost out on Riku.

"Riku was intelligent but feeble," his companion intoned. "I've got my eyes on someone better, now."

"Terra?"

"No."

"Not the replica?"

"Don't be a fool, Vanitas."

"When can I out him? I wanna see what everyone does when they figure out Riku is really gone."

"You shall do nothing of the sort."

"Why not?"

"We must conceal our knowledge until the time is right."

As Sora inched closer to the door and clutched his chest to calm his thundering heart, a sharp, hissing sound blew from inside the door. Sora froze, wondering if his whale breath had given him away. For once in his life, he breathed silently. With quiet steps he inched further away. Before Vanitas and his master could discover him, he dashed beneath the staircase towards the attic and curled himself into a ball. Two sets of footsteps clobbered forward, stopping ten feet from his own and shuffling as their owners glanced around. When the pair grew certain they were alone, Vanitas asked how Terra was taking losing his Mark of Mastery. For a moment the enigma at his side remained silent. Then, it murmured, "Terribly."

"Sweet," responded Vanitas. Then, the pair disappeared for the forecourt, while Sora trembled and held his breath beneath the stairs, wondering if he would ever have the strength to come out.

~X~

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 **A/N: GASP, what the hell is going on with Axel, Soddy, Roxas, etc. etc.? Perhaps you have inklings. FOLLOW, FAV, AND REVIEW ****so I'll have the impetus to upload faster T.T**


	26. Funny Games

**A/N: Still no reviews? T.T There have been a lot of views, so if people _aren't_ liking it, at least they're still reading (lol). R12, I miss you! I hope you're doing alright, and hope you're still enjoying the story! I know Ventus is nasty and Vanitas is just a negative plot line walking, but Roxas will definitely come back in a big way soon! He's always saving Sora's ass in some way, whether he is present in the immediate plot or not (lol.) Roxas may be the biggest mystery in this whole story, and I'm only realizing now what a long ass time I've spent keeping you all in the dark! I _also_ just realized that this story is really REALLY long (already longer than year 1!) but hold on tight, because we're only halfway through. I like paying homage to the original games, and I've gone through KH1, CoM, and BBS, so next semester will have to be KH2~ meaning Sora's going to start traveling to different worlds FOR REAL! Who will he meet along the way? Give me suggestions in your reviews! **

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Twenty Six_**

~X~

"You ready?"

"Almost."

There was a pause.

"Now?"

"Yeah."

Sora hiked the box of kupo skins from under his arm. After opening it, he dumped its contents into the river below. He and Ari stood on the balcony of the burger joint, overlooking the still green water. For a moment the kupo skins floated along its surface. When the water clung between the sinews, the skins disappeared forever. Sora bent his head and clamped his hands together, praying to Hacky's spirit for a good performance on his finals. Ari stood in silence. Then, he sighed and cleared his throat.

"We are gathered here today," he began. "To honor the soul of Hacky the Moogle."

"Known by her brethren as Bog," Sora interjected. Ari nodded and amended the name.

"Confined to the metal trappings of the electrics room for more years than she could count, Bog made her way through life with a talent for synthesis and a penchant for picking up human names."

"She also had a network of tunnels," mumbled Sora. Ari nodded and added it in.

"Her life remains a mystery, her death, tragic. But her spirit lives on, emblazoned in the hearts of her dearest friends." Once finished, he turned to Sora and asked if he brought the matches. Sora nodded and emptied them from his pocket, along with the tin covered paper boat he had made earlier that day. Ari gave a somber nod as he took them from his hands. Then he struck the match on the balcony railing and slipped it into the center of the boat. Before dropping it in the water, Sora said he would do it. Ari handed the boat over. Sora took a deep breath and shut his eyes to say one last prayer. When the tin began crinkling with heat, he hissed and shoved it overboard. It landed upside down on the water with a putter, the match fizzling out amongst the waves with a small pop. Ari and Sora stared at the floating carnage for a few moments before a fish popped up to eat it. As the beast abandoned the charred metal and the boat drifted on, the pair on the balcony sighed and slumped against the railing with their hands under their chins. When Ari had enough, he clapped and hoisted himself up. Then he called for Sora to follow him. Sora lumbered to his side. They passed through the burger joint entrance in silence. When they reached the dirt path flowing from its side, Ari began to whistle.

"Poor Bog," he said. Sora sighed in glum agreement. These days, the brunette felt like a purely destructive force. He could not even send out a tin boat for an old friend without burning it to bits.

"I threw you and Bog overboard without a moment's hesitation," Ari remembered with a shake of his head. "Little did I know, the circle of life included me. It's funny," he added through a chuckle, looking to Sora for encouragement, "when most of your days are normal, you think that's how it's going to be forever."

"I don't know if I'd call our lives 'normal'," Sora muttered. The replica shrugged in concession. Then he asked why Sora had asked him down here in the first place. The inquiry jolted Sora out of his head and froze him in place. When he gazed up at Ari, the replica branded him with a knowing stare. Sora whipped his glance away as fast as he could. Then he entwined his hands behind his head and shrugged that Hacky would have liked a couple words from the man who threw her overboard.

"Get real, booty-meister," Ari snapped back with a smug grin. "You called me down here to apologize for coming a letter short of signing my assassination order at the drag show. I can see it by that shuffling, mumbly look you've been wearing for the last hour."

"What?" Sora snapped, glancing at his reflection in the river at their side. When he noticed his wide eyes, pursed lips, and bent shoulders, he scoffed and mumbled that "assassination order" was a little strong. Ari barked laughter. It made Sora feel guiltier.

In reality, he had not called Ari out to apologize to him at all. Today marked the two week anniversary of Sora overhearing the conversation between Vanitas and his mystery master in the grand hall. He had been working up the courage to talk to Ari about it ever since, but every time he went to tell him, it felt wrong. Giving a tin boat, burger joint revival for Hacky with Ari as a guest speaker was all that he could improvise. Even now, with Ari practically goading him for information, his tongue remained stuck.

"I wonder what dying feels like for a replica," Ari mused at his side. Sora shivered. Several minutes passed in silence as they broke further from the river and passed the lines of trees Sora had helped Axel raise to the ground that summer. Saplings and fresh new growth had sprung up where the detritus and rotten branches once stood. Suddenly he became aware that Ari was staring at him.

"Roxas started class again," the replica said. Sora nodded.

"So when's he coming back to the dorm?" Ari asked.

"I don't know, Ari," Sora snapped. "He hardly even glances at me anymore."

"Booty," Ari sighed.

"Booty indeed," responded Sora in melancholy. "Seems to happen every year."

"Pray tell?" Ari inquired. Sora scowled and shrugged.

"He was put on probation last year for assisting me in my expulsion trial. This year..." Sora trailed off. Something told him not to tell Ari about Ventus. So instead he murmured, "guess the old geezer bars him from human contact whenever he messes up."

"Mhm..." Ari hummed through pursed lips, conceding with a knowing, narrowed glance, "or just from contacting you."

A sudden longing rattled through Sora like glass. The tiny heartbeats that drifted across his skin whenever someone touched him ached. He thought of Roxas' bright smile and laugh. His dusty freckles and coral cheeks. Shadows of guilt and confusion layered each. Gaunt blue shadows lining Roxas' babyish features in twilight, like when he had suggested Alicia Keys for Sora's lip sync performance.

In irritation Sora shook the images from his head and stomped faster. Ari jogged to keep up.

"Sure it has nothing to do with you boning Ventus?" he blurted out. Sora stumbled and nearly tripped over his laces. When he glanced towards Ari with a face that would stop a car, Ari burst out laughing. Sora barked for him to stop to no avail. The pair stood in extremis for several more minutes before they regained forward motion. Sora walked several feet ahead, thoroughly embarrassed and upset. Ari reveled in his trudging form from behind.

"I love science," he sighed. He only laughed harder when Sora looked back at him with a glare. "The power of discovery," the replica continued as he wiped his eyes.

"Yes, you've discovered I'm a terrible person, just like everyone else," Sora spat. Ari's smile faded as his brows pulled taught.

"Is that the closest to an apology I'm going to get?"

Sora groaned and turned around.

"Ari!" he snapped. "I am sorry for spilling the beans on you! If there had been any chance of my confession affecting your life for the worse, I would have done anything to keep you safe!" before turning again, he added, "and I still will! Because I'm a hero and heroes help people." Then, with nose turned up, he continued. Ari stayed behind in silence for a moment, head cocked to the side. Then he shrugged and shuffled forward.

"It's charming that you use terrible person and hero in the same sentence," he announced.

"What?" Sora croaked ahead. Ari shrugged again.

"If you keep telling people you're a terrible person, you'll become one," he explained. Sora scoffed that he was just saying what everyone else thought.

"I'm an attempted killer and a slut," he stated with a tragic rotation of the cheek. Ari shoved him away with a scoff.

"You're thick," he said. "It's like monkey see monkey do. Maybe you have a problem with saying no."

"Please don't sound like Soddy," Sora begged.

"You confessed your love, yet?" Ari asked.

"What?" Sora snapped in exasperation.

"It's like _Romeo and Juliet_ ," Ari explained. "Except Eraqus makes up for all the shitty parents."

"Ari, what the hell are you talking about?" Sora barked. Ari scowled and bellowed, "Roxas!"

Sora groaned and snapped that he didn't want to confess his love to anyone anymore.

"You took care of that wish after the drag show," he evaded with bitterness, shooting Ari a nasty side eye. Ari snorted and shrugged, adding that Naminé was a keeper. When Sora asked if they had kissed yet, Ari gave a cackle and a sly grin. He bobbed his hands on either side of him like weighing scales, mock contemplating whether to let Sora in on the details. Sora scowled and shook his head. Ari rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger as he moved to Sora's side.

"Look, I'll try not to judge you for boning Ventus after making out with Roxas," he said. "But I just want to know for posterity if his nipples are pink or brown."

"What?" Sora shrieked. Ari waved his hands in front of him in dismissal.

"Posterity, DIY dawg. Naminé and I were pondering about it."

"You were talking to Naminé about me and Ventus?" Sora squeaked in horror.

"Good things, good things!" Ari tried, wincing as he added in a mutter, "well... mostly bad things."

"Ari!" Sora moaned.

"I heard people saying you and Vanitas got into an argument after you left his room," the replica continued. "Apparently he's boning Roxas."

"That's what he said," Sora exhaled. Ari chuckled, wondering aloud why it would be true. When he asked what Roxas thought of Vanitas, Sora shrugged and said he was under the impression that he hated him.

"So if they did get together, it would have to be for a very good reason," Ari mirrored. When he asked if Sora liked Ventus, Sora ignored him and walked faster. When he asked if Sora still liked Roxas, the brunette faltered and froze. His cheeks went red. Then, plagued by the contradictory advice of Axel and Soddy, he muttered that these days, he did not really know what he wanted at all.

"Have 'em bone you at the same time," Ari suggested. Sora choked on his spit and barked that the replica was out of line. Then he froze and asked what boning meant. Ari looked on Sora in pity, murmuring that if Sora did not know what the word meant, he had not done it.

"And you've got to stop carrying on conversations when you're not 100% sure what the other person is talking about," Ari added. "If you don't know what someone is saying, just ask."

"I'm tired of being made feel like a dummy."

"Did Riku always make you feel like a dummy?"

Sora's shoulders sagged as he stopped again. He mumbled that it wasn't just Riku.

"I always seem to make friends with people smarter than me," he sighed. "Maybe getting back to Destiny Islands for winter break will do me some good. Reacquaint me to normal human beings."

Ari snorted and nodded behind him.

"Roxas never made me feel stupid," Sora added offhand. "Roxas and... Ansem..." as the name left his lips, he furrowed his brows and stomped faster. Ari stared at him without expression. Then he announced that he heard Aqua and Ansem started going out. Sora's mouth fell open in shock. When he gasped, "no!" Ari clapped his hands.

"Naminé told me Kairi saw them in a cafe together. Command Board Craps or something."

"Crêpes," Sora corrected in a mutter.

"Yeah, that," continued Ari. "Apparently the date went sour when Aqua reached for Ansem's hand and he withdrew it. They started a really intense conversation and Aqua left alone."

"Shit," Sora murmured, wondering with all his might what they might have been saying to one another. When he asked if Kairi had heard any words, Ari shook his head.

"But on her way out, she thought she heard Aqua mumble Vanitas' name."

The sound ground Sora's teeth. To stop himself from gnawing the inside of his cheeks off, he asked if Ari had heard anything else about the encounter. Ari shook his head. Sora rolled through every rumor he had heard in his mind. When he flicked back to the bombard of a memory that had laid on the tip of his tongue for two weeks now, he caught Ari by the arm and pulled him close. Ari raised a brow in expectation. Sora wetted his lips. He had found the courage. The time was now.

"Ari," he started, "I heard Vanitas and some old guy talking about you two weeks ago. They didn't say what they were going to do with you... but whatever it might have been, it didn't seem good."

Ari furrowed his brows and nodded. When he said it had been Vanitas and Xehanort, Sora gaped and demanded to know how he had found out. Ari shrugged and responded, "Ansem." Sora stared at him in confusion. When he asked Ari to repeat himself, Ari told him Ansem had warned him that Vanitas was after him. Sora worked it all through in his mind. Then he clutched Ari's collar.

"Soddy isn't what he seems," he warned. "In my vision quest he took over Riku's body and shot him into a land of darkness!"

"I don't know, Sora," Ari murmured. "Naminé told me she thought Ansem was a metaphor for the darkness in Riku's heart."

"Oh, come on," Sora started, grinning at the replica as if he were telling a brilliant joke. When Ari's expression read serious, Sora's smile disappeared, replaced by a gaze of disbelief. Ari shrugged and muttered that Sora jumped into things too fast. Sora ignored him to wonder aloud what about Vanitas Soddy had said to Aqua. When Ari guessed it was something to do with himself or Riku, Sora snorted and quipped that it was probably about Ventus. Ahead of them, a third voice cackled.

"Wrong guess, termite," it drawled.

For a moment Sora's glance whizzed back and forth in terror. When he realized where he stood, though, he shut his eyes and groaned. The tree to his left had a black dent from where Vanitas had bolted it the year before. The memory of Sota's tin pin and Vanitas' howl of rage ricocheted through Sora's mind. When the vision receded, he opened his eyes and faced the bane of his existence head on. Vanitas stood with his legs shoulder width apart. His hands dug into his pockets. His head cocked to the side, weighed down by a massive smirk. His golden eyes twinkled with malice. Sora gritted his teeth and asked what he wanted.

"Tell the replica to go away," Vanitas responded coolly. Sora and Ari sucked in deep breaths before freezing in place. Minutes passed. Vanitas' brows raised in expectation. Finally Ari caved and stared into Sora's eyes. Sora stared back. Terror painted the replica's features.

"See you at school," Sora said. Ari sighed in relief and gave him a tight hug. Then he disappeared down the path ahead. When Sora and Vanitas stood alone, Vanitas cocked his head for Sora to follow him. Soon the pair were walking the same direction Ari had left. They met no one on the road. A couple upperclassmen wandered about the forecourt studying for combat finals, but otherwise, the campus seemed empty. Vanitas hummed the same tune he always did as he slipped through the front double doors and up the stairs towards the great hall. When he passed, he shoved his head in and gave a ferocious bark. Several screams echoed inside. Vanitas cackled and rapped his hands against the lockers lining the hall. Then he pressed open the exit stairwell door and clambered up to the dorms. Sora followed at a jog. The higher they stepped, the more the knot in his chest tightened until it felt like a massive pulsing boil. His breath became shallow and labored. His vision swam. His fingers shook. Vanitas hummed louder. Once they breached the hallway to the boy's dorms Sora asked where they were going. Vanitas responded with a harsh shush. Sora pursed his lips, wiping the perspiration from his palms onto the legs of his shorts. He stifled a whimper when they reached Vanitas' dorm room door. The ravenette leaned against the frame as he unlocked it. When the lock clicked and the door swung in, he cocked his head and slipped inside. Sora gulped. Then he followed.

The space had not changed. Vanitas kicked aside the clothing strewn across the floor and sighed as he plopped against his bed. After moving through a long, wolf like stretch and yawn, he relaxed and slipped his shirt over his shoulders. As he snuggled into his pillow and dug his hands behind his head, he shot Sora a wide grin. Sora remained motionless at the center of the room, hands limp at his sides, face staring forward without expression. Vanitas scowled and nuzzled his face into the crook of his neck, scratching his nose with his shoulder. His lip caught against his skin. Another mischievous grin crinkled across his cheeks as the knot in Sora's stomach curled. When he turned, Vanitas sat up.

"So you've finally made the jump to fagdom," he announced. Sora scowled, muttering, "no more a fag than you are." In the blink of an eye Vanitas grabbed a book from beneath his bed and chucked it for Sora's head. The spine caught the brunette in the shoulder as he dodged. Vanitas cackled as the book clattered to the carpet.

"Everyone was in love with you over your stupid Minerva bullshit at the drag show," he sighed, leaning back and tracing his thumbs over each other. "Now they're spazzing over you cutting both Eraqus twins at the same time." His eyes rolled to the heavens and his arms splayed out in dainty gusts as he mocked Sora's show speech.

"Let's accept and be kind to everyone!" he trilled in a high pitched, jarring coo. "Hurt not our fellows, unless it involves fucking!"

Sora winced when Vanitas cackled again. He gritted his teeth and hissed that he had no idea what the boy was talking about. Vanitas' eyes flashed as his expression drew simpering.

"Wittuw Sowa is a big fake," he chirped. "I've said it from the fucking start. Axel, Naminé, Roxas, Ari, Ventus..."

Sora tried to ignore the fact that Vanitas knew the replica's chosen name. His teeth chattered so much that he had to clamp them shut to keep them from humming. When he managed that he had not fucked anyone, Vanitas howled.

"Unlike the rest of the school, I know that, Sora," he hissed. "You just get a bubble of people who want to fuck you and milk them for all they're worth. And when they stop doing what you want, you get them destroyed."

"What the absolute fuck?" roared Sora. "I've never hurt anyone!"

"Didn't you almost snitch on Ari, snog Roxas right in front of Eraqus' shadow, and then go at it with Ventus behind my back?" asked Vanitas with glee. "Pretty tight rope to straddle."

"I've apologized for those things," Sora intoned. Vanitas' eyes widened in mock confusion. "Have you apologized to me, yet?" he asked. Sora stared him down in loathing. Then, through his teeth, he intoned an apology.

"For what?" asked Vanitas innocently. Sora's palms curled into fists. Shaking in rancor, he incised that he was sorry for cheating on Vanitas with Ventus. When Vanitas' ensuing, riotous laughter informed him that he had mixed up his words, he shut his mouth and bit his lip till it bled, wishing he could kill with a glance. Vanitas smirked and slipped his hands from the back of his neck to the inside of his thighs. Sora watched them curve around the cloth covering the skin between his hips and legs in a trance. When he snapped out of it and met Vanitas' eye, the boy licked his lips.

"How about I tell you everything I know about your replica?" he asked. Sora stared. While one of the ravenette's hands dipped around his hips, the other trailed up his chest until his fingertips brushed back and forth over his right nipple. His skin pinked. As he nuzzled the back of his head further into his pillow, Sora's fists clenched tighter.

"Born in February," Vanitas started. "Memory transfer in May. Overseen by... Marluxia, Larxene, Axel, and Naminé... Axel was a spy... replica watched you the entire summer... brought back info to the Organization... enrolled junior year... set for destruction when the real Riku is found."

Sora searched for the lie in Vanitas' eye. Vanitas responded with a sure, unwavering glance. His fingers continued tracing over his puckering nipples and along the sides of his ribs.

"How about we start up that old game from the summer?" he asked. "I answer your questions and you answer mine."

"I'm not playing games, anymore," warned Sora. Vanitas shrugged, murmuring that he just thought Sora might like to know what he was doing with Roxas. Then he winked. Sora narrowed his eyes, wondering how much information the ravenette really had.

 _"I've got nothing on you. Just the people you know."_

He shuffled from one foot to the other and glanced to the door, trying in vain to figure out Vanitas' intentions. Then he caved, asking in a mutter what he wanted to know. Vanitas' eyes flashed as he propped himself up on his elbows. He beckoned to his side. Sora shook his head. Vanitas shrugged and rolled over, facing away. Sora gritted his teeth. In defeat he trudged to Vanitas' bed and sat down. The boy curled back and stared at Sora with his chin propped under his elbow. Sora could feel his thighs brushing against his back. He kept his glance rooted to the clothing laden carpet.

"Where did Ansem meet Riku?" Vanitas asked. Sora shrugged and said the man never told him. Vanitas scowled. Before he could ask another question, Sora asked if Vanitas had hurt Roxas. Vanitas narrowed his eyes and cocked his head, settling on, "not as much as you did."

"Liar," Sora shot back in triumph, remembering what Axel had told him two weeks ago. Vanitas raised a brow and said that he was telling the truth.

"I know I haven't hurt Roxas," Sora beamed. Vanitas' eyes glinted as he asked who had told Sora that. Sora's smile wiped away. He faltered. Then, with bitten lip he mumbled, "someone trustworthy."

"Name, Sora."

"You never asked for one."

Vanitas' nostrils flared in anger and surprise. Then he snorted and shrugged, swinging his leg over Sora's head and settling it over the boy's lap. When Sora attempted scooting away, the ravenette cinched him down. He rolled his knee back and forth between Sora's thighs. Sora clapped his hands over his face in a desperate attempt to figure out what he would ask next.

"Who told you Ari was a replica?" he decided. Vanitas shrugged and murmured, "Someone trustworthy."

Sora scowled as Vanitas cackled. When the ravenette asked how far he had gotten with Ven, Sora shot back, "not far," with an innocent shrug. Vanitas scowled and curled his hands around his brow. Sora leaned forward as a better idea flew through his head.

"When did Eraqus start suspecting Ari was a replica?" he demanded.

"After they found Vexen's research."

Sora kicked his leg against the bed frame in exasperation, wishing he were someone smart like Riku, Joshua, or Roxas. Or Ansem. He would have been good at this.

"Oh, fuck!" Vanitas gasped, clapping his hand to his forehead in realization. Then he held a forefinger up. "Answer this if Axel was the one who told you you hadn't hurt Roxas," he began, "did Axel warn you not to join Organization Thirteen?"

"That's two questions," Sora snapped.

"No," Vanitas responded. "It's a ladder. If the first part's untrue you don't have to answer the second part at all."

Sora wracked his brains for a way out. When no evasive solution unfurled, he clutched Vanitas' thigh as hard as he could and hissed that the redhead had told him there were better ways to change the world. Vanitas giggled with joy as his leg jerked up.

"That's not what I asked, Sora," he intoned. "I asked if he warned you not to join Organization Thirteen."

"I-" Sora began. Vanitas' knee rose and nudged him below the chest. As Sora shoved it down, he barked, "I must be an idiot because I don't understand. Do you want me to say yes or no? I'm confused- wait, THAT'S NOT A QUESTION!"

"Too late, Sora," Vanitas sang, "I want a yes or a no, and now you owe me two answers instead of one."

When Sora tried heaving himself off the bed, Vanitas hooked his feet together and held Sora down with his thighs. As the brunette struggled against him and tears prickled around his eyes, he shouted that he was too stupid for Vanitas' games.

"I dunno, termite, I'm starting to think you're faking it," Vanitas responded. "It's all part of your strategy. I heard Axel talking about it a couple weeks back."

"What?" Sora squeaked in horror. Vanitas shrugged.

"Faculty meetings trickle through the grapevine," he explained. "It's all manipulation, right? Fake stupidity, fake tears? You must have used them on Axel when he told you Roxas was okay, right?"

"How did you know-?" Sora began, clamping his mouth shut in the hopes that Vanitas forgot to answer his question. But the boy shrugged and murmured that he was good at piecing things together. "And now you owe me three answers," he added with a wink. For a moment Sora groped through hopelessness, wondering in gaping agony what he would do next. Then, his brain began working. He swiveled towards Vanitas and set his hands on either side of his hips, pressing between his legs so he could get closer to his face. The bronze boy blinked up at him in shock as he spoke.

"Yes it's all manipulation," Sora spat at him, "Yeah, I'm a big phony, just like you, and yes I cried when Axel told me Roxas was fine. There! Three answers, now we're even!" Then he swiveled away and jammed his arms in a cross over his chest. For a moment Vanitas blinked up at him in wonder. Then he cackled and hitched closer, rising to Sora's side to whisper in his ear.

"So ask me something," he murmured. Sora's mind flew to what Ari had told him about Soddy and Aqua's lunch date. With gusto he asked what Vanitas was planning to do with Aqua. Vanitas furrowed his brows and snorted.

"Nothing," he drawled. Sora bit his lip. If it was not her he was after, who was it?

"How did you get your key blade?" asked Vanitas. Sora reeled anew, thinking fast to cover Roxas and Ventus' asses.

"I don't know," he snapped. Vanitas gritted his teeth and gave Sora a probing glance.

"If you're lying," he sneered, "I'll make you sorry."

"I'm not lying," Sora insisted. "I guess you're the stupid one."

Sora grinned as Vanitas' nostrils flared. The ravenette growled as he wrapped his arms around Sora's hip. He was practically on the brunette's lap by now. But Sora refused to back down. Somehow, he felt close to winning.

"Did Ventus perform the key blade inheritance ceremony on Roxas?" Vanitas insisted. Sora shook his head with vigor. Vanitas smashed his fist into his bedside wall in anger, cracking the plaster and swearing as he shook his hand out. After recovering he shoved away and stared Sora down in wait. Sora bit his lip in thought. He burned to ask what Vanitas had been talking about with the gravelly voiced man the day before. But the man's entreaty to keep information secret until the right time kept his mouth shut.

"Why don't you have to go out with Ventus anymore?" Sora tried. Vanitas snickered and shrugged.

"I've got a more powerful boss," he cooed. "And better options." Then he winked.

"Who's your boss?" snapped Sora. Vanitas' eyes twinkled. A sneer played across his lips as he responded, "Master Xehanort."

Sora's heart fell. For some reason, he half hoped Vanitas would say Soddy, or even Xemnas. When he opened his mouth again, Vanitas dug his foot into his stomach and pushed him back.

"I'm out of steam, Sora," he warned. "I'm not answering anything else."

Sora gaped. "B-but," he started in disbelief, "Are we not playing anymore?"

"Games suck when no one plays by the rules," Vanitas sighed with a shrug. "Besides, you owe me two answers already."

"I'm ready," Sora responded. Vanitas shrugged and asked how many people had felt the inside of Sora's asshole. Sora pursed his lips and gulped, "one." Vanitas' ensuing gasp of glee made Sora want to barf. When Vanitas asked if Sora had gotten further with Ventus or Roxas, Sora's shoulders sagged as he responded in a whisper, "Ven."

"Ha," Vanitas grinned, stretching his arms over his head. Sora stared at him with a hungry expression, begging with his glance to keep playing though every new admission cut like glass. Vanitas narrowed his eyes and snickered.

"How about I give you one more question for free?" he asked. "I could tell you what happened when I told Roxas about you. I could tell you if he cried or not. What position we did it in. What names he called by accident. The look on his face. Course," he added with a shrug, "if you go all the way with me, I'd be willing to give you a whole evening of uninterrupted information."

 _I'll fuck you some other time._

There it was. The promise Vanitas made after Sora kissed him in the hall had returned. Sora ground his teeth as the ravenette rested the heel of his foot on his inner thigh. Then, with a deep breath, he asked why Roxas started fucking him. Vanitas' eyes twinkled with glee. Sora stared him through like a lance. The ravenette chuckled. Then, he murmured, "because of you."

Sora blinked in shock, furrowing his brows as he stuttered. "M- me?" he whispered. He examined Vanitas again, searching every muscle in his face, every glint in his eye for some kind of truth. Other than smug, the boy was unreadable. Sora tore him over with yearning. He had so many questions. Vanitas was giving him an easy way of getting answers. He knew it, too. The look of triumph painting his face was revolting. In desperation, Sora tried on a nervous, giggling smile.

"When did it start?" he asked, leaning against him and setting his hand on his bronze chest. Vanitas cackled, shaking his head as he caught Sora by the palm.

"How about that promise, Sora?" he cooed. Sora pursed his lips. His breath became shallower and shallower as Vanitas pushed his hand further down his abdomen. When he pressed the brunette's palm inside the hem of his pants and snaked his own hand down the back of Sora's shorts between his buttocks, Sora shut his eyes and wondered in vain if he could create a safe space in his mind like Soddy had described. When Vanitas' finger dug against his entrance, though, his thoughts jammed to the present and roared, "no!" Without thinking he shoved Vanitas back and scrambled off the bed. Vanitas jumped up in surprise, fuming with sudden rage that dripped into a threatening smile.

"Okay, tough guy," he murmured, licking his lips. "How about you go all the way with me or I tell Eraqus what Ari really is?"

Sora stared Vanitas down. The same sure, unwavering glance painted his eyes as before. For a moment Sora felt himself tumbling into a terrifying black abyss. Then he remembered what the gravelly voiced man had told Vanitas two weeks ago.

 _"We must conceal our knowledge until the time is right."_

Was the time right, now? Sora squared his shoulders. Bit his lip. Then he shook his head. Vanitas' mouth dropped. He gasped.

"So you really weren't lying when you said you're just like me!" he hissed. "You don't give a shit about anyone but yourself!"

For the first time in his life, Sora had an inkling of what was actually being done to him. He could feel Vanitas waving the bait over his head and stoking the fire beneath his heels. He felt the immediate impulse to say yes to the ravenette's demands whine within him. But he continued shaking his head. Vanitas' eyes bore through his skull. He grinned.

"How about you just go as far as you have with Ventus?" he tried. Sora's shoulders shot up. Vanitas grinned. Sora gulped. Asked if he could have more time to decide. Vanitas narrowed his eyes. Then he nodded and held out his hand. Sora hesitated. As he reached out to grasp Vanitas' outstretched palm, a door slammed outside. Two rising voices echoed through the hall. Vanitas and Sora glanced up. They clambered to the door together. Vanitas peeped his head out and gasped in excitement. When Sora peered over his shoulder, his mouth dropped.

Terra stormed towards the exit stairwell with Aqua at his heels. He hitched a single strap traveling bag over his shoulder as Aqua snatched for his hand. Words spewed from her lips so fast they sounded like gibberish. Terra ignored her as he burst into the stairwell and hurried down.

"Terra!" she screeched after him. Vanitas and Sora met eyes as she hurried after. A wolfish grin spread across the ravenette's face. Then he was in the hall, hooting and clapping his hands as if watching a sparring match. Sora scrambled after him as countless heads popped from their dorms. When Sora made it to the stairwell, Vanitas was half way to ground floor and Aqua was bursting into the front hall. Sora threw his leg over the banister and slid down, charging through the exit door just as Aqua followed Terra through the forecourt. When Aqua reached for Terra's hand again, he roared for her to leave him alone. Surrounding students popped from the books or conversations they sat engrossed in and watched the exchange with glassy eyes. Vanitas leaned against the inside of the entrance doors with a wide, gaping grin. Sora hurried towards him with darting steps.

"You're embarrassing me!" shouted Aqua. "You're embarrassing all key blade wielders running away like this!"

"I don't give a shit who I embarrass!" Terra screeched, his voice cracking on the word, "shit." Vanitas screamed laughter. Terra whipped his glance away and wiped at his face. When he turned again, his shoulders shook and his lip trembled.

"I'm going to find the truth," he said. "And when I come back, I'm going to be a key blade master whether he likes it or not!"

"This is not Eraqus' problem!" Aqua insisted. "It's yours!"

"Fuck you, Aqua!" Terra barked. "Wipe Eraqus' shit off your mouth!"

"You asshole!" Aqua thundered. Before she could summon her key blade, Terra scrambled around his shoulder for the holster with the black button. When he pressed it, the forecourt disappeared in a haze of white light. Sora yelped and squinted his eyes shut. When he opened them again, Terra was gone, replaced by a massive armored being with two metal horns jutting from the top of his helmet. He clutched Terra's key blade in his right hand. In a single swoop he flung the blade through the air like a boomerang. When it came back, it transformed into a massive, motorcycle like hover craft. Aqua screeched for Terra to stop as two figures rushed past Sora's shoulder. When he glanced around to see who they were, he noticed Ventus and Eraqus screaming and running to Aqua's side. Terra ignored them and mounted the vehicle's back, pointing its nose towards a fizzling circle emanating from the sky. The vehicle gave a lurch and shot up. When it flung through the white sphere of light, the portal shut and disappeared. The sky returned to normal. Aqua, Ventus, and Eraqus stood at the center of the forecourt aghast. Soon, Master Xehanort joined them. Vanitas remained in the shadow of the door. Sora stood at the front hall's center, frozen.

"What should I do, Master?" gasped Aqua. "Should I go after him? I'm the one who made things worse." Her hand shook as she swept her fringe from her eyes. Eraqus patted her shoulder and wetted his lips in thought. Before he could say yes, Xehanort's shadow settled across his back.

"Terra is experiencing suffocation," the man rumbled. As soon as his voice settled against Sora's ear, the brunette went limp in the knees. Master Xehanort. The gravelly voice Vanitas had spoken to in the grand hall. The ravenette's new master. The one who had rejoiced over Terra's failed Mark of Mastery. Xehanort Nimoy's grandfather.

"As do all gifted key blade wielders at this academy to some degree. As the eldest of the key blade council, I concur-"

Eraqus' chest shot up with sudden indignation as he held up a hand for Xehanort to stop speaking. Xehanort received the gesture in veiled amusement, reeling back in feigned shock.

"This is not an issue of the key blade council, Xehanort," Eraqus spat. "This is an issue between myself, the head master of this establishment, and my closest students and colleagues. Aqua stays. And I would prefer your personal opinions refrain for once from undermining my educational decisions."

The veiled amusement that had curled Xehanort's cheeks snuffed out like a candle. Vanitas' eyes burned in their place behind him. After wetting his lips, the older, gravelly voiced man murmured, "if you had listened- colleague- you would have heard my opinion was one of agreement."

"I wish we could agree more often," Eraqus cut in without eye contact. "Especially in light of your recent proposals."

A coldness descended over the forecourt palpable to all but Eraqus himself. As he puffed out his chest and flared his nostrils, Xehanort narrowed his golden eyes and let his mouth crinkle with a curt grin. "May I remind you, my friend," he murmured, "that I am a decade your senior."

"The darkness of age has pulled you out of touch," Eraqus returned without thought. "And as long as I am headmaster, none bar Terra shall leave this world's grounds unless they complete their Mark of Mastery or renounce the blade altogether. Aqua shall remain here to assist me in this fashion."

"What?" Sora breathed in confusion. No one could leave until they completed their Mark of Mastery? Did that mean no summer vacation? No Destiny Islands? The students surrounding the forecourt looked upon the exchange in wonder. Sora leaned against the wall of the entrance steps for support.

"Yes, Master," Aqua stuttered ahead, lost in perplexion. As she stepped forward, Vanitas cupped his hand over his mouth and snickered through a gape. Ventus glanced up to Eraqus with wide, unbelieving eyes. Xehanort bowed his head in pity. When Eraqus asked what was wrong, Ventus murmured, "you haven't once called her Master."

Eraqus blinked at Aqua in surprise. Aqua glanced down at her feet, murmuring that a mistake was a mistake. For a moment Eraqus blubbered. Then, with a scoff he insisted that he had made no mistake at all. "All can see she is as worthy a Master of the key blade as any! No title changes that!" With that, he swept up the entrance steps and disappeared inside. Ventus stayed at the forecourt center, eyes rooted on Aqua's shrunken form.

"Aqua?" he began, reaching for her hand. She folded her arms over her chest and sucked in a deep breath. Then she held her head high.

"It's fine," she insisted. "I trust Eraqus with my entire heart. I don't need to be seen as a Master to be one." Then, she returned inside the school. Ventus stared at her as she left, repeating her name. She ignored him. Sora found himself inching closer to the school's entrance doors. As Aqua passed, she called for him and everyone surrounding to return to their studies. Vanitas scoffed and spit at her heels. Xehanort moved forward and settled his hand around Ventus' shoulder. Whispered something in his ear. Then he patted his back and returned to the school, golden eyes leering down Sora's form as he shifted by. When Xehanort snapped his fingers, Vanitas followed. Sora stood at the double doors alone, watching Ventus search the sky. The blond's hands curled into fists. Then, he swiveled and stalked around the school's back. The foreboding knot in Sora's stomach lurched and pulled. Sora followed the feeling. He picked up his legs and jogged after Ventus, making sure to hide whenever the boy glanced over his shoulder. When he realized he was making his way to the tool shed behind the maze, his brows furrowed and his heart sank.

~X~

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 **A/N: Cliffhanger! Eraqus' sass level has reached supersonic. Everyone in the forecourt must be nursing burns right now. Anyway, FOLLOW FAV AND REVIEW!**


	27. Grounded

**A/N: Ah, R12! Hello again! I was worried you'd got so frustrated with Sora that you'd stopped reading altogether! I feel bad, too, because** **you're definitely going to want to throw your computer by the end of this chapter... I'm sorry T.T Sora's going to grow a lot next semester! And thank you CrazyWill for your reviews!**

 **WARNING: Explicit sexuality. Yaoi.**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Twenty Seven_**

~X~

Ventus shoved the shed door open and slammed it shut so hard it fired off the lock and pressed ajar. Sora slipped through the sliver of space between and peeped around. Ventus tore through the shelves ahead, settling on something leather and metal. The center of its frame was wrapped in muslin. He carried it towards the work table at the shed's center and tore the muslin off. When he brushed the soot off the mystery item's center, Sora gasped. Ventus jumped and reeled around. When he met Sora's wide blue eyes, he scowled and returned to work, hoisting up the holster like contraption and strapping it around his shoulder. The wide blue button on its center twinkled as he fiddled with the underside. When Sora realized what he was doing, he blocked Ventus' path and threw out his arms. Ventus stopped in front of him and fixed him with a glare.

"Get out of my way," he intoned.

"Where are you going?" breathed Sora. Ventus ignored him and tried shoving past. Sora clasped him around the waist and pressed him back.

"When did you get that thing?" he insisted.

"I stole it from Eraqus' office two weeks ago," Ventus snarled. "Like I stole the money last year to frame Nao."

"Did Xehanort just tell you how to work it?" Sora asked, wiping Ventus' admission from his mind though it made him grit his teeth. Ventus rammed him harder until the two boys dove against one another.

"What the fuck does it matter to you?" he snarled.

"You're playing right into his trick!" pleaded Sora. "Xehanort is tricking you, Vanitas is-"

"I don't give a shit about tricks!" Ventus bellowed. "I just want to see Terra! I want to see my friend!"

"But Eraqus said-"

"I don't give a fuck about Eraqus!" Ventus roared. "He can go die for all I care!"

"Just- think this through!" Sora barked, shoving Ventus back with all his might. Ventus pitched his weight sideways so that he and Sora twirled in opposite directions. As Sora crashed into the shed's back shelves, Ventus set his hand around the door handle and hissed for Sora to suck his dick. As he turned and pressed the door open, Sora gaped and whined, glancing from one end of the enclosure to the other. Then, thinking of nothing else, he dove for Ventus' pants and tore them down. As Ventus tripped and stumbled into the shed door, he gasped and grabbed Sora by the hair.

"No, you fucking don-" he started in a snarl, wincing as Sora jabbed his tongue into the base. When he finally wrenched Sora off of him, the pair froze and stared at each other for what felt like forever. As they panted, Ventus furrowed his brows in confusion. Sora tried with all his might to keep his eye, but the blond's half erect dick kept piercing his line of sight.

"What the fuck was that?" Ventus hissed. Sora shrugged in oblivion. Ventus shook his head and bared his teeth, sneering, "to keep me trapped?"

"I- I just don't want you falling into one," Sora croaked. Ventus scoffed. He stared Sora down. Then his eyes widened. His cheeks pinked. The tip of his penis swelled and rose. His breath staggered. Something in Sora shied away, twisting his heart and clawing at his gut until he cowered against the work table Ventus had set the muslin on. Ahead of him, Ventus cocked his head. Then he furrowed his brows and nodded. Sora froze. But when Ventus' hand clasped around the door handle, he gasped and crawled on hands and knees until the shaft between the blond's legs rose like a tower above him. Ventus' eyelids drooped beneath thick, sandy blond lashes as he glanced down. Sora hesitated. Then he took a deep breath and reached out his hand.

When his fingertips settled along the base of Ventus' shaft, he felt a prickle of a heartbeat beneath the skin. The warmth stung. When he traced his fingertips up, the pillar gave a violent pulse. Sora scooted closer. His insides squirmed. When Ventus asked what was wrong, Sora mumbled that he had never done this before. Ventus grabbed the hem of his pants with a scowl, shimmying them up until Sora yelped for him to stop and cupped his hands around his bare thighs. Sora kneaded his brows and sucked in a deep breath. Then, he ducked down and kissed the line of muscle running from the back of Ventus' penis to its tip. Ventus shivered and moaned. Sora's heart skipped a beat. He scooted so close his cheek brushed against Ventus' hip. As he pulled back, he hesitated.

"Sora, you're making me feel weird," Ventus snapped. Sora nodded and kissed the skin without thinking, sucking when he elicited a growl from deep in Ventus' throat. As he kissed closer to the shaft, Ventus gave a breathless chuckle, wondering out loud what would happen if someone came looking for them. As the stone sinking through Sora's stomach lurched, Ventus' penis gave a harder twitch. His breath hitched.

"Lick it, Sora," he breathed. Sora ran through Roxas' kissing lessons in his head, hoping they applied to every part of the body. He opened his mouth and breathed on the shaft. It oozed frosty white liquid. Something in the shed smelled faintly of bleach. Sora scooted up and pushed his tongue between his lips, running it up and down Ventus' shaft as he cupped his palm around the base. When he squeezed, Ventus bucked so close he nearly hit Sora in the eye. Without thinking Sora began pumping, moving his tongue towards the tip. The closer he got, the louder Ventus moaned.

"S-Sora," he cried, "I-it's too dry, u-u-." He gasped when Sora took the tip in his mouth, trembling to unbutton his fly so he could spread his legs wider. Not knowing what else to use, Sora smoothed the frosty liquid dripping from the tip down until Ventus' penis glistened. When he started pumping again, Ventus bucked and pressed his chin towards the shed ceiling, crying out Sora's name with gaping lips. The sound made Sora's ribs clench. His cheeks burst a sharper red. The heat crawling between his legs grew stiff. As he took Ventus' tip in his mouth again, he panted. His grip softened around the shaft base. When Sora pursed his lips harder around the shaft center, Ventus bucked so hard the entire thing shot into the back of Sora's throat. Sora lurched back and gagged, coughing and rubbing his neck as Ventus moaned an apology. The soapy taste made him wince.

"G-give me your hand," Ventus breathed above him. Sora nodded and rose his right hand to Ventus' golden stomach. Ventus caught it and pressed hard into the muscle between Sora's forefinger and thumb. Sora winced at the pressure. He felt Ventus take his thumb and trace it around his belly button.

"T-try to take it in further," Ventus gusted. Sora nodded and gulped. Then he sucked in a deep breath and took Ventus' shaft deeper, sighing when Ventus gasped. He could feel the curved top slipping past his uvula. It felt stiff and slimy. The soapy taste got worse. His eyes watered as the impulse to retch rose again. When he tried to breath, his throat muscles constricted. He gulped before the coming gag could finish.

"Sora," Ventus said, "D-don't hurt yourself. J-just take it in a little ways. Just, just pump it in and out."

Sora gasped for breath as Ventus' dick popped out of his mouth. He let himself cough. Ventus wiped the sweat from his brow and sniffed. When Sora glanced up, he gaped in horror. Tears beaded at the sides of Ventus' eyes. When Sora asked what was wrong, Ventus whimpered that he wasn't enjoying himself.

"I-I'm that bad?" Sora gulped. Ventus shook his head with vigor. "No!" he said. " _You're_ not enjoying _yourself._ You won't even look at me."

As he gritted his teeth, he glanced towards the holster with the blue button in longing. Sora stifled a whine, clinging harder to Ventus' thighs. When Ventus met his eye, Sora gulped and stared at him. Ventus stared back. His cheeks shot fire red. He hid his face over his shoulder in embarrassment. Sora traced his fingers in figure eights around Ventus' hips, patting the skin on occasion as he smiled up in desperation. Ventus' blush disappeared. His shoulders fell.

"It's a terrible place for a first time for anything, huh?" he muttered. "Blowjobs suck unless you're giving them to someone you like. I've messed everything up."

When he clutched at his pants a third time, Sora flew up and clapped his hands around the boy's cheeks. Ventus stared at him in shock. Without thinking Sora leaned in and kissed him. Ventus' gaze widened. Then his eyes closed and he leaned into Sora's cheeks, pressing his body towards him and sighing as he threw his arms around his shoulders. For a few moments they pulsed back and forth. When they parted Ventus blushed. Sora grimaced. A streak of white hung on the blond's lower lip. He laughed when Sora wiped it off. They gazed at each other again.

"If you want to stop, we can," Ventus said.

"Will you put that flying button away?" asked Sora. Ventus' brows furrowed in confusion.

"The what?" he breathed.

"The- the transportation device!" Sora fumbled. Ventus' mouth formed an "o." Then he scowled and looked away, hesitant to answer. Sora bit his lip. Pictured Xehanort whispering in Ventus' ear. Vanitas cawing behind him. The whispering voices as the two discussed Ari and Terra two weeks ago. With a firm step he slipped to his knees and gave Ventus his left hand. Ventus cupped it in his own and pressed his thumb and forefinger into the muscle between Sora's thumb and forefinger. Sora hummed as he took Ventus' shaft between his lips again. To his surprise, Ventus curled on his tiptoes and gave a rattling moan. Sora continued humming as he pressed the shaft in and out. When he caught Ventus' hazy blue eyes staring into his own, he regretted it. The stiffness between his own legs was growing unbearable. The little heartbeats surrounding the skin of his navel, neck, and the pits of his arms ignited and drummed as he looked on Ventus' gaping mouth and coral cheeks. As Ventus' eyes rolled back in his head, the shaft in Sora's mouth began twitching nonstop. Sora used his left thumb to press into the skin behind Ventus' balls. Ventus screamed.

"S-Sora! he gasped. "I-I'm, I'm."

Before Sora realized what was happening, something strong and thick shot down his throat. With a gasp he fell back and gagged, coughing and wincing against the taste of bleach pooling at the back of his tongue. He could feel it like a weight dropping through his stomach. As he rubbed his belly, a shadow passed overhead. Ventus knelt bare legged beside him with a glowing grin, asking something Sora could not understand.

"Whah?" the brunette croaked. Ventus' fingers ghosted around the hem of his pants, switching between undoing the buttons and tracing around his belly button. When Sora realized what was happening, he sat back and shook his head. Ventus' brows furrowed.

"You don't want me returning the favor?" he asked. Sora whipped his head from side to side.

"Why not?" cooed Ventus, hopping forward and running his fingers through Sora's hair. Without thinking, Sora fluttered his eyes closed. "I," he started, "I- I'm embarrassed, it's wrong, t-too fast..."

Something soft but rough pressed into his upper thigh. Ventus' hand. His other stroked Sora's hair and the nape of his neck. Sora bit his lip and pretended to squirm away. His hips shivered when he moved them. Ventus laughed into his neck. The hot breath fanned the tiny hearts that beat just beneath. Sora whimpered. The feeling of complete surrender had returned. When Ventus' fingers pressed into the dimples at the base of his spine, his thoughts faded out. The shed surrounding became warm, hazy static. The stiffness between his legs grew painful. When the blond's other hand slipped inside his pants and closed around him, he gasped and threw his arms around the boy's neck. Ventus pumped with one hand and pressed Sora's underwear down with the other, until the musty air of the shed prickled his thighs. Sudden warmth tickled his pubic hair. When something soft and wet glided along the underside of his penis, Sora flew his eyes open and scrambled backwards. Ventus clamped his hands around Sora's buttocks as he tumbled between his legs. Sora gasped. When he saw the way Ventus' cheek nestled the side of his balls, an uncontrollable twitch seized the muscles of his legs. With a yelp of embarrassment he covered his face in his hands.

"Hey," Ventus breathed. "Hey..." Two palms glided to Sora's own and pressed them down with gentle strokes. When they hung limp at Sora's sides, Ventus leaned into Sora's ear and told him to relax. Sora scowled. Ventus asked him to look in his eyes. When Sora did, he whimpered. Ventus stared straight at him as he took the tip of Sora's penis in his mouth. Then, it disappeared inch by inch. As the muscles surrounding him pressed and pulled, bolts of electricity fled from Sora's tip into a deep pool at the center of his pelvis. His balls pulsed as his breath shattered in and out of his chest. When his penis met cold air again, his entire body shivered. When he peeked down, he gasped.

The same frosty white liquid that had bled from Ventus wept from Sora in gushes, tumbling down the sides of his penis and settling against his stomach in tiny pools. As he watched Ventus move the liquid up and down the shaft in a combination of horror and wonder, Ventus glanced up at him and winked. Sora's cheeks split with fire. In one slow stroke, his penis disappeared again. As it drove further down Ventus' mouth and into his throat, Sora threw back his head and cried out the boy's name. Ventus' muscles constricted so tightly that Sora gasped for breath. His eyes pressed shut. Tendrils of energy shot through his body in rippling waves. One of Ventus' hands moved back to knead his dimples. The other pressed into the skin behind his balls. The heavy pool sinking through the center of Sora's pelvis burst through his balls, lower back, and down his thighs. The same crystalline lens that obscured his vision the night Ventus pleasured him on the edge of the summit returned again, causing everything surrounding to rotate behind diamonds of purple and pink. His breath shattered from his lungs in gasping breaths as if he were drowning. His body trembled. He let Ventus' hand press into the underside of his buttocks. When the other traced his entrance, he dug his head into the wall behind him and whispered Ventus' name over and over. When Ventus' finger breached the ring of skin and the memory of the night on Avenida pierced through Sora, he begged for him to get out. Ventus' hand relinquished. For a few moments it stayed rooted by his side. Then his fingers returned to Sora's thighs. His thumb prodded the skin behind his balls with care. Sora sunk lower down the shed wall, toppling over a broom and a wrench as he fell. As they clattered over his stomach, he winced. The muscles of Ventus' throat constricted as he laughed. Suddenly, the molten heaviness inside Sora became too much to bear. A whine of electricity bolted to the center of his body, contracting his muscles and causing him to buck into Ventus' lips without realizing. The tip of his penis burst each time it pushed into soft, firm wall. As the electricity sizzled to his toes, he gasped for breath.

"Ventus!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Something pressed from within him. His body shook. Crashing waves rolled into him as the static surrounding turned white. The waves continued as he collapsed into the floor. Ventus' tongue against him hurt. As the blond broke away and snuggled up Sora's side, Sora moaned through another strong wave. Ventus laughed into his ear with breathless excitement.

"Wow, Sora!" he gushed. "You're still going."

When Sora attempted hiding his face, Ventus stopped him with a kiss. Against his better judgement Sora kissed back. They wrapped each other in their arms and stroked down each other's backs, panting as they tore at one another's skin. When Ventus' hand stroked towards his chest, Sora gasped and forced himself to pull away. Ventus kissed the nape of his neck. When the boy's hand drifted under his shirt, Sora yelped for him to stop. Ventus sat back. Sora breathed out in exhaustion. As the feelings of pleasure left him, guilt and anger crept through the cracks. He rubbed his forehead. Ventus pierced him with an anxious stare.

"Did you," he started, shoulders faltering. "Did you not like it?"

"I..." Sora started. He sucked in a deep breath and grimaced. He loved it. If his body were not so sensitive, he would want Ventus to do it again. When he thought of how easily he forgot himself when someone touched him in the right places, he felt sick. Ventus reached out and stroked his cheek. Sora bit his lip. Then he pressed Ventus' hands in his own.

"I liked it," he whispered. The lump growing in his throat eclipsed his next thought. Gulping it down, he mumbled that things moved too fast.

"I understand," Ventus responded with a nod. "Of course you wouldn't want someone like me touching you. I've been ruthless."

"You have been really mean," Sora whimpered. Tears were climbing over his cheeks. Ventus gave a little moan and snuggled closer to him, kissing his earlobe as Sora sniffed.

"Let's go out, Sora," he breathed. Sora glanced up at him in confusion. Ventus grinned and tickled his sides.

"Let's got out together!" he giggled. "Let me make everything up to you. I'll make you forget everything I ever did."

Sora pictured Ari skulking around the shed, shaking his head in dismay. _Sora, Sora, Sora,_ his warning tumbled around Sora's skull. _We just had this talk, and here you are._ His heart twisted. Nao and Sota would never forget what Ventus did. They had expulsion slips to prove it.

"What about Eraqus?" Sora tried. Ventus' hand drifted like a glacier up the side of his ribs.

"Fuck Eraqus," responded Ventus. "If we keep things secret he'll never know."

"But Vanitas-" started Sora with a squirm. Ventus' hand breached the bottom of his pectoral as his other traced Sora's hip.

"I'll make up some story," he hissed.

"We barely know each other," Sora pleaded in a strangled voice. When Ventus' fingers closed around his nipple and pressed forward and back, he stuttered and whined. The hand tracing Sora's hip slipped to his chin and pressed it back. When it met Ventus' lips, Ventus kissed it and looked into Sora's eyes. "We'll get to know each other," he whispered.

As they lied together, a sudden flash passed the blond's eye. He slipped his arms from around Sora's back and hoisted himself up, hiking up his pants and unclipping the button still attached to his shoulder. After returning it to muslin, he slipped it into the front of his shirt and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Sora cried as Ventus' hand cupped the handle. Ventus chuckled.

"Relax, Sora," he said. "I'm not going anywhere. Not know. I just need to talk to Aqua." Before slipping through the shed door completely, he grinned and murmured, "thanks for keeping me grounded, Sora." Then, he was gone.

Sora listened to his receding footfalls until they disappeared completely. Turning around him and gusting in and out another sigh, he drew his fingers along his bare hips and sniffed. Suddenly, the deal he had almost made with Vanitas the hour before grinned out from the darkness of this thoughts. He covered his face and groaned. When he imagined the ravenette's throat closing around him, and his harsh fingers digging into the dimples of his back, the skin on his arms prickled up in revulsion. Ari's helpless stare as they stood in the path from the burger joint returned to him.

 _I would have done anything to keep you safe!_ his promise to Ari echoed. _"And I still will! Because I'm a hero and heroes help people."_

 _"I was right!"_ responded Vanitas' voice in a whisper. _"Wittuw Sowa is a big fake. You do only care about yourself."_

Sora sobbed into his hands as he curled into his bare thighs, hating the way his backside stuck to the musty concrete floor. When he wiped away the tears and hoisted up his pants, the uncomfortable sensation of cloth over dirty skin curled his lip. He felt five again. Now all he needed was his mother to thunder in and say how disappointed she was in him. Come to think of it, having her there would be better than not having her at all. Would he ever see Destiny Islands again? As he picked up the broom that had fallen against his stomach and wrenched it into the back wall, the shed door burst open. Sora screamed and jumped back. When he stared into the eyes of his visitor, he groaned.

Soddy stood bare chested in the frame of the door, wearing his familiar seventies style athletic shorts, socks, and shoes, with thick gardening gloves and a wide brimmed sun hat. His face and bare shoulders were caked in white. The smell of salt, sun screen, and coastal grass drifted around him like a portable Besaid Sea. He held a pair of pruners in one hand and a mini shovel in the other like a knife and fork. When he sniffed, he reeled. Then he peeked out the door and peered into the distance with an expression of consternation. Something in his mind clicked. His amber eyes widened. He whipped his gaze back to Sora's huddled form. After taking him in completely, he blushed, pursed his lips, and gave a curt nod. Then he dipped his head and returned the gardening tools to their home drawers. The smell of the islands grew stronger the closer he got, reminding Sora that he would not go home for the winter break, or the summer break, or forever, in fact, if he never passed his Mark of Mastery. As Sora watched the silverette's sodden back hunch around the shelves, the fear that Soddy could smell the liquid off of him entered his chest. When Soddy's heel turned up and an iris petal fell from it to the floor, Sora asked what he had been doing. Soddy froze. When he resumed his hunt, he mumbled that he had been pruning the flowers.

"That's my job," Sora warbled blindly. Soddy shrugged and said they looked like they needed help.

"After all, the garden is for everyone," he reasoned. The quiet taking over the shed grew palpable. Sora fumbled as he picked up the wrench he had toppled over with the broom. When Soddy stretched and moved to exit, the brunette called for him to wait. Soddy's back tensed. He turned and folded his hands before him. Sora sucked in a deep breath, stepped forward, and curled his hands into fists.

"I need to know where Riku is," he pleaded. "I'm tired of playing games."

Soddy stared at him without expression. Something flashed behind his eyes. When the beginnings of a desperate word formed along his tongue, he shut his mouth tight and shrunk in sadness.

"Your friend told me to keep it a secret," he apologized.

Sora grimaced. His hand reached up and tore through his hair. When he looked at Soddy again, he bared his teeth.

"I have been looking for my friend," he insisted. "For a year. I looked for him in a dream, in the summer, and now I've looked for him for an entire semester. I think I have the right to know where he is. Riku would want me to know where he is."

"I have no doubt Riku wants you to know where he is!" Soddy intoned. He yelped and ducked when the wrench in Sora's hand flung for his head and clanged against the work table at the shed center. After recovering, he continued in mounting anger, "It's not safe, Sora! Don't you get it? If anyone found out where he was, they'd snuff him out like a candle! And in my opinion, Riku is more useful alive than he is dead."

Sora scrambled to his feet and shoved Soddy in the chest. "Fuck you," he hissed. "Fuck you and your advice! The only reason I came to this stupid school in the first place was for Riku- and he's not just a tool! He's a person! A great person! A person you could race, and spar, and cook chicken wings with! He was considerate and loving and cared about his family! And before you destroyed him, he was my best friend! And soon I'll have none!"

Blinded by anger, Sora summoned his key blade and aimed it at Soddy's face. For a moment he stood there, gritting his teeth and shaking. At first Soddy shrunk into a defensive position. Then, he softened and straightened. He held out his hands. Then he beckoned Sora forward. "Go ahead, Sora," he murmured. "If it's really that important to you, go ahead."

In confusion Sora stared at him, willing himself forward. But his weapon relinquished. His shoulders sagged. His mouth dropped open. Then, against his will, he descended into sobs. Soddy stared at him with an open mouth as he slumped to the floor, glancing around as if begging for help. When none came, he knelt carefully at Sora's side and attempted patting the howling boy's shoulder. When Sora clutched around his bare throat, Soddy yelped and maneuvered so that Sora embraced his side. For a long while they sat together, Soddy patting Sora's shoulder as Sora sobbed down his chest. When the white hair growing from it dripped with salt water and snot, Sora backed away and wiped himself off on his sleeve. Both let out a long sigh as they relaxed. As Sora leaned against Soddy's shoulder, he realized how warm the man was. He closed his sopping eyes and set his head against the back wall. Silence drew thick.

"Often," Soddy said suddenly. "I look back at points in my life and wonder how the rest would have changed if I'd tweaked each of them. I know fate is in all of our hands, and we can have inklings of the right thing to do. But you can't play a game after it ends."

"What if you make a losing move?" mumbled Sora. Soddy stared off and shrugged. Then he chirped, "then you lose."

"Oh," Sora gulped. Soddy grinned.

"It's like an icy staircase," the fiend explained. "If you tumble to the bottom, you work twice as hard to get back to the top. And for every time you slip, you try ten different ways to get yourself back up."

"I guess I haven't been going at it as creatively as I could," Sora muttered.

"Do you feel like... _people_ aren't taking 'no' for an answer?" Soddy asked. "Or are you still having trouble saying 'no' at all?" When Sora scoffed, Soddy held up his dark hands in surrender and chuckled.

"It's easy to say no to enemies," he started. "Much harder to say no to friends, and even harder to say no to yourself."

Sora grimaced and wrapped his arms around his knees. Soddy shrugged.

"But maybe it's not about saying no at all. Maybe it's just about saying yes to the right instincts. And in this case, the right instinct may have been to say no."

Sora narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose as Soddy snorted and shrugged.

"Soddy?" the boy marveled finally, "what the heck are you?"

Soddy stared Sora through. For a moment his eyes dulled, as if he had retreated to the protection of the safe room in his head. His gaze relinquished as he muttered that he was no one. Sora stared towards his averted eyes. There was no glint in them. They were shallow sunset. Tired. As usual, sad. But there was something familiar, there. Something Sora had not noticed till now.

"Wait a minute," Soddy snapped. Then he whipped up his head in indignation. "Did you just call me 'Soddy'?!"

"I heard you were going out with Aqua," Sora avoided with a tragic sigh. Soddy gaped and snorted, blushing red in an instant.

"Well, that's," he started with a cough. "That was just. Business."

"She held your hand," Sora insisted. Soddy shot him a glare.

"How did you find that out?" he snapped. Sora told him Kairi had seen them. When Soddy thought back on it, a young, warm smile engulfed him.

"Kairi," he snorted. "Of course it was frickin' Kairi."

"What?" Sora barked. Soddy gave a quick shake of his head.

"I suppose one could call it a date," he amended. "Leading up to it I had a thousand thoughts of us going out. But I'm not the me I'd like to be. How could I offer her a lie?"

Sora stared. As he looked away he muttered that Soddy had some serious self image problems. In return Soddy snorted. The next moment he threw his head back and busted out laughing. Sora gaped at him through the entire episode. When it finished, Soddy wiped the tears from his eyes and gave a loud sigh. After a few more minutes passed, he hoisted himself up and asked if Sora was ready to return to school. Sora shrugged and rose to his feet. When the door opened and sunlight hit his eyes, he winced and flew up his hand. Soddy sucked in the fresh autumn air with relish.

"Winter break in two weeks," he said. "What are you planning to do?"

"Nothing," responded Sora. "Eraqus said no key blade wielders can leave until they achieve their Mark of Mastery."

"What?" Soddy breathed, glancing over the horizon with a dark gaze. "He can't do that. I'm going to the outer world with Mickey whether he likes it or not." As a sudden thought crossed his mind, he ducked his head and shuffled his sneakered feet through the grass. "If things cool down, perhaps you could come along. We could be a team."

The strange, childish shyness clasping his towering figure made Sora reel. The boy was too confused to say a word in reply. As he stuttered over gibberish syllables, Soddy told him it was important to form a band of protection.

"Especially the way the universe is moving nowadays," he intoned. "Keep sensitive information to yourself. And tell me if anyone is bothering you. Even people you like... people you might think are your... friends."

"Ventus isn't my friend," Sora growled. "And he's not bothering me."

Soddy shrugged and murmured that it didn't have to be Ventus. Then he grinned and waved goodbye. Sora scowled before giving a little cock of the head. When Soddy reminded him about the key blade lessons, he muttered that he would see if he could fit him into his schedule. Sora shuffled from heel to heel in anxiety as the man receded around the side of the school. When he disappeared completely, Sora called his name. Soddy popped back around with brows raised. Sora squirmed. Then, sucking in a deep breath, he murmured, "Vanitas." There was silence. Soddy gave a grim nod.

"Noted," he said. Then he was gone.

~X~

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 **A/N: Yeah... that happened. This story will not have such explicit sexuality for a while... I'm aware that Sora is starting to sound petulant... there will be metaphorical and literal slaps-in-the-face that will reground him, but for now... he's in a tight spot. Please read on! I've got a lot in store, and as I said, beloved characters will return!**


	28. Truth and Lies

**A/N: No reviews? Okay T.T I've been writing nonstop, and I just noticed that this is chapter 28 and we're not even at the end of the semester! And this installment is supposed to go to Sora's next summer vacation... so this thing is just going to go on forever, because I've got so much planned. I've told you guys before that I write ahead, but I've written ahead so far I'm already on Chapter 36 and he's just getting on his gummi ship to go to Twilight Town for the first time T.T it's hard writing about an AU that is _almost_ the same as the original game universe, so in the future there is going to be a little mumbo jumbo establishing the role of the heartless and nobodies in this universe (obviously, Organization XIII are not nobodies but real people here) along with some shocking revelations about characters coming back. And when the heck will Sora figure out what really happened to Riku? Stay tuned! I'm excited o^.^o**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Twenty Eight_**

~X~

The last two weeks of Sora's fall semester crawled by. His dreams were interrupted by repeating, grainy visions of Ari being taken screaming down a long black corridor with pictures of Vanitas' face printed along the walls. In a strange interlude, he was rowing to the island and showing Soddy he, Kairi, and Riku's secret place. This, though, quickly devolved into another nightmare when Sora heard screaming and scraping coming from inside the cave door. In his last, most embarrassing dream, he gave Ventus and Roxas blowjobs to determine who was who.

Why did he keep mixing himself up with the wrong twin? Whenever he tried unsuccessfully to elude the blond, Ventus wept about Terra, railed about escaping Eraqus, and made thinly veiled threats to run away on his glider. Before Sora knew it they were eating lunch alone on the summit, practicing together in the evenings, and swimming amongst the mangroves when the sun became too hot to bear. Then they were getting dinner in the restaurants in the valley and skinny dipping at night. Often Ventus would take him to his room to do homework. Sora found magic theory an excellent distraction whenever Ventus' hands hovered over the danger zones of his pectorals, hips, and lower back. Saying "no" to himself as Soddy had suggested was terribly difficult. Especially when Ventus said certain things. One day, as they worked on combat on the summit, the blond slathered him in coos of devotion that melted him little by little.

"Wow, you executed that move really nicely, Sora, you've improved so much this semester," came first- a standard starter. Then, "Can you show me really quick how you did that?" Then, "you look so tan, today, Sora!" and "Are you doing something new besides running in the morning? The muscles of your arms have really grown." After that, a luxurious lament of, "aw, Sora, you're losing the baby fat around your face! You don't look like a boy, anymore!" Like the final nail on the coffin, the last compliment sent Sora straight to heaven. He blazed through the rest of his summit training routine until he was exhausted and starving. When his stomach rumbled, Ventus chirped that he deserved a burger for his hard work. When Sora proved hesitant, Ventus laughed and beamed, "I'm buying you dinner, not eating you!" Sora had to admit that he _had_ worked hard, and that Ventus could not molest him in the middle of the burger joint. On their way back, they swam naked in the river to escape the midday heat. Then they dashed across the road and climbed atop the old temple to sunbathe. Just when Ventus' body looked the most enticing, and when Sora decided it was time to escape back to the safety of clothing, Ventus turned to him with a thoughtful expression and murmured, "you know, Sora, when I look at you these days, I'm awed. It's so rare someone as young as you makes it this far. You're like a genius prodigy or something. You're so smart, I can't believe you're real."

Needless to say, they had exchanged another round of blowjobs minutes after. The single thing that kept Ventus from going further was not Sora's sense of decency or propriety, but the inexplicable, knee jerk reaction that shut him down ever since Vanitas had invaded him on Avenida. It was as if something had been stolen that night that Sora could not get back. Or perhaps something was almost taken that he now refused to give to anyone else, no matter how much he wanted or was driven to. Ventus took each rejection personally. No matter how sweet he was on a daily basis, he got a foul, ice cold temper whenever he failed to get what he wanted. Imagining fighting off his advances till April gave Sora a bellyache, especially whenever he remembered his promise to Vanitas. When they went on a double date with Ari and Naminé after combat finals finished, they ran into the monster in the hall. First he asked how far along Sora and Ventus had gotten. Then he asked Ari how he was doing, winking at Sora as he moved to leave. Sora survived the encounter by scoffing as though he had no idea what the ravenette was talking about.

He spotted Roxas intermittently. The boy seemed miles better than he had after the drag show. But his eyes held a new, cold precision. Class and "mission" work, as he called it, was central. Anything else became peripheral, including conversations with old friends. Whenever he and Sora exchanged words, he was curt and sharp. His fighting style became ferocious, acerbic, and merciless. Just when Tifa and Sora began worrying they would have to complete their combat final alone, Roxas returned to practice with them. On the day of the exam, they drew the names of two professors from a hat and were commanded to fight them as a group of three. With Roxas by their side, Demyx and Axel were annihilated. For the majority of the fight, Roxas took care of Axel while Tifa and Sora stumbled around Demyx. When Roxas finished with Axel, he helped the other two finish the water sprite off. While Luxord, the presiding officer, copied down the team's results, Sora and Tifa collapsed to regain homeostasis and Roxas gathered his things, unperturbed. As soon as the results were read and Demyx and Axel left, Roxas disappeared.

Terra did not return to the Land of Departure Key blade Academy. Aqua continued teaching with Soddy in Mickey Mouse's place. Sora took element classes with Eraqus. He had to admit, the man was a brilliant teacher. But he viewed things in such absolutes, it was hard to feel close to him. Constant, pointed remarks about Sora's sexuality, along with snide comments regarding Roxas and Ventus' behavior, wore the boy down. For a warrior of light, the old man was very cold. On the afternoon preceding the LGBTQ final celebration, a karaoke fundraiser involving the best singers in the club, Sora found himself sobbing in Yen Sid's office while the man wandered into the great hall for a cup of coffee. When Yen Sid returned and asked what was wrong, Sora considered telling him about what Eraqus had said. But he lost his gumption half way through and gave up, ending the meeting on a sour note. After saying goodbye and slipping into the hall, he wandered into the bathroom to cool down the swelling around his tear stained eyes. When he finished, he patted his cheeks and slipped through the corridor. As he passed Aqua's broom closet of an office, he furrowed his brows and listened at the door. Music was playing. Behind it drew the sound of sniffing. In his piqued interest Sora bit his lip and curled the doorknob to the side, giving it the slightest push when it clicked to see if it was locked. As he pressed in, a loud scowl and the sound of scraping wood erupted within.

"Yes, yes, I know!" croaked the voice inside. "I'm supposed to be watching-"

When the door opened Sora stumbled forward. Aqua yelped when he fell against her, pushing him back when his face accidentally collided with her chest. When Sora glanced up to apologize, his gaze softened. Aqua's eyes were bloodshot and puffier than his. Her nose shone bright red. Its underside seemed chafed. She sniffed and padded her cheeks as she looked upon him. Then she set her hand on her hip.

"Well?" she demanded. "This isn't my office hour, Sora. If you want something, make it fast."

"I just heard music," Sora blurted out. Aqua blinked down at him. Then she caved and indicated for him to come inside.

The office was small enough to squish a mouse. Aqua jumped over her desk to get behind it. When she seated herself as comfortably as possible, she turned the music volume down and opened the notebook sprawled across her desk. As she continued writing in it, Sora asked what song was playing.

"Adagio Lamentoso," Aqua mumbled. "Tchaikovsky. Brilliant for sobbing with abandon."

"I'll have to borrow that," Sora chuckled. He thought he saw a smile play across Aqua's face. When he looked at the calendar behind her desk, he noticed several slots included the description, "meet Kairi." He furrowed his brow as he scanned past them. When Aqua asked why he was upset, he shrugged and said that Eraqus' personal convictions were getting in the way of his classes. Aqua snorted in agreement.

"I'm beginning to wonder how I sat through all of his lectures," she muttered. When she realized what she had said, she gasped that she still thought he was a brilliant man. Sora nodded in approval, adding that he was just very one sided.

"You've got to be one sided in the battle between light and darkness," Aqua snapped like a whip, as if by rote. Sora blinked in surprise and furrowed his brows.

"What does being bisexual have to do with the battle between light and darkness?" he asked. Aqua blinked at him. Then she sighed and nodded in realization.

"Yes," she muttered. "That is one of the downsides of his age. He and Xehanort's opinions on gender and sexuality are draconian. He still can't wrap his head around the fact that Yen Sid is gay."

"Yen Sid is gay?" gasped Sora, peering towards the door as if the man would float in on a thunder cloud. Aqua nodded. "Hasn't had a partner for twenty years, though. Considers wielding the key blade as a kind of vocation. He's like a monk," she added with a snort. Then her smile softened. "But I suppose it must be difficult, having your oldest colleague discount who you really are."

For a moment Aqua pondered it. Then the adagio skipped to a Motown number. Aqua closed her eyes and bobbed her head. When Sora asked why she had been crying, she shrugged and said that stuff with Terra and Ventus was getting her down.

"Have you gone on any more dates with Soddy?"

"Excuse me, what?"

"U, buh, S.D.," Sora corrected in a flash. When Aqua did not understand, he elaborated, "Ansem." Aqua's mouth formed an "o." She narrowed her eyes, as if to tell Sora that that kind of question was inappropriate. Then, forgetting it, she gave a sigh of defeat and muttered that she gave up on him weeks ago. After a moment of quiet, she snorted and shook her head.

"It's so funny," she explained. "When you throw your whole being into becoming a key blade Master, you start thinking all your dreams will come true once it happens. That you'll be like this beacon of light amongst mere mortals." Then she chuckled and shook her head, adding, "but nothing's changed. I still feel like a little girl trying to follow the rules."

"Maybe you need to break the rules a little," chirped Sora. As Aqua stared at him, he shrugged. When she asked what he suggested, he told her to take a night to love herself.

"If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you going to love anyone else?" he insisted. When Aqua raised her brows in befuddlement, he elaborated that she should take a salt bath and eat chocolate. She shook her head and tapped her chin. Then she blushed.

"Maybe I'll just go right up and kiss him," she whispered. Some image seemed to be going through her head, because she hid her face in her hands, kicked her feet against the ground, and let out a high pitched squeal. She did not move when Sora reached out to pat her back. Just when he was getting used to the softness of her shoulder, she sat up with a smile like a Cheshire cat's.

"Minerva," she breathed, smoothing her hair. "I was always too shy to ask anyone out. But I was getting on so well with Ani, and I was riding off the high of becoming a Master..."

"You call him Ani?" Sora reeled. Aqua nodded and giggled, adding that he didn't know he had a nickname. "I'm very formal with him," she insisted. Her face broke with another grin. She cursed in wonder again. Then she rubbed down her cheeks with the palms of her hands.

"I'm a failure," she sighed. "Think of it. At my age, not even having had a first kiss..."

"How old are you?" Sora asked.

"Eighteen," Aqua responded glumly. "Birthday is in January. I'm just praying I don't hit my twenty first without a peck on the cheek."

"People rush too much," Sora insisted. Then he grinned and caught Aqua's hands in his own. "How can you say you're a failure when you're one of the youngest key blade Masters in the world? When I see you fight, I can't believe you're real!"

"Aw, Sora, that's too much," Aqua tittered, carrying her hand over her pinking cheeks and crinkling blue eyes. The way they scrunched up with glee reminded him of his mother. Like her, Aqua yearned for approval. When Sora thought of the ways people might use that against her, he grimaced, wondering if there had been a time when someone had used compliments against him. Then he remembered each conversation leading up to every touch, caress, and trail of saliva between he and Ventus. Had Ventus ever praised him other than when he wanted to touch him? When Sora struggled to find an example to the contrary, his eyes widened in despair. Had anyone else he knew done the same? When Aqua asked how Ventus was doing, Sora gulped and shrugged, croaking that he was fine. Now it was Aqua's turn to take his hands. Her eyes twinkled as she peered into his. When she noticed his expression, she softened and cocked her head.

"Ventus has always been difficult," she murmured. "But he really is the sweetest boy when you get beneath his exterior. He can just be a little stubborn."

Sora frowned and left it at that. When Aqua asked if Eraqus had given them any trouble, Sora shook his head. For a moment Aqua nodded. Then she descended into giggles again.

"You two are such cuties together!" she cried, running her hands down Sora's shoulders. Sora tried to laugh, but found he could not.

"I am so glad he is away from Vanitas," Aqua gushed, clutching her hand over her heart. "For once, he's bathed in light! After being in Roxas' shadow for years, and then ours and Vanitas', he's just been yearning for someone to see him for who he really is..."

Sora twiddled his thumbs faster and faster over each other as he stared at his hands. Another gulp was rising in his throat, one that seemed to extend from the base of his being. His lip trembled of its own accord. Vanitas' promise returned to his head. Roxas' smile. The emptiness in his heart when he thought of Riku, and Kairi, and everyone from home that he had left by the wayside. Strange wishes and regrets jumbled together and pressed behind his eyes until he rolled his forefinger and thumb under his brows. With each new comment Aqua made, he shook his head and gritted his teeth. The memory of Nao and Sota sobbing in the hall when Vanitas laughed at their expulsion and the way Eraqus refused to give them a retrial, made his stomach churn. His shock upon seeing the poster of himself being fucked over the cliffside made him grimace. When his memory moved to himself perched over the summit edge on Ventus' lap after the drag show, he winced and snorted. Perhaps Ventus had never thought he was smart at all. He just knew all the strings to pull. And Sora had let him because he was impatient.

Something prickled against his lip. A memory of touch. Dusty blond lashes and a pursed, intentioned mouth. Serious eyes with a glint of mischief hidden deep beneath the still waves. Curved brows. Freckled, coral cheeks. The touch of Roxas' lips against his own. His tongue. The sound of his voice. Axel's murderous glance at the Drag Show when Sora stood before Roxas singing his favorite song.

"Are you listening to me, Sora?" asked Aqua. Sora blinked up at her in oblivion. As his thoughts picked up, he grimaced.

"Aqua," he murmured with a pause. "I think I've made a terrible mistake."

Aqua stared at him without expression. What felt like centuries passed. Then, she closed the notebook before her and pushed it to the side. She asked Sora what he meant. He shrugged and stuttered, "I think it was a mistake going out with him."

"Then why are you?" said Aqua in a cold murmur. Sora lowered his head and mumbled, "because I couldn't say no."

Before Aqua could scoff she held her tongue and sat back, shutting her eyes and rubbing beneath her brows the same way Sora had done earlier. When she looked at him again, it was with a hard glance.

"Sora," she intoned. "Ventus isn't a 'mistake.' He's a human being."

"I know that!" Sora scowled in indignation. Aqua held her hand up for him to stop speaking, giving him a sharp mental reminder of the way Eraqus held his hand up to Xehanort weeks before. Anger and embarrassment bubbled in Sora's stomach as he set his jaw tight.

"Ventus would never come on to someone without inspiration," Aqua intoned. "If he began liking you, he would have had to have a push."

"He was sure pushing me when he was trying to escape to Terra!" Sora snapped. As soon as the words left his mouth, he clamped his hand over his face. Aqua leaned towards him in astonishment.

"He what?" she barked. Sora stuttered and blubbered as he thought of the right thing to say. Aqua's eyes bored through him like lasers. In the end, he caved and told her about what happened in the shed, switching the blowjobs for a passionate kiss. Aqua stared at him with a gaping mouth through the entire tale. When Sora finished, she groaned and set her hand beneath her chin. She cursed under her breath. Sora pursed his lips. When Aqua sat straight again, she murmured that Sora had to tell Ventus the truth as soon as he could. When she thought of the right way, though, she sighed.

"Do you dislike him?" she asked.

"No," Sora insisted. He loved being touched. It was the toucher that pushed him away.

"I just might like someone else better," Sora shrugged. Aqua stared him through with a dull gaze.

"Are you really so in demand that you have to decide?" she said flatly.

The comment landed on Sora's cheek like a slap. Axel and Vanitas' comments about selfishness snaked down his spine like freezing water. He opened and closed his mouth, drowning. Then his shoulders fell. He shrugged and mumbled that he supposed things were fine. Aqua narrowed her eyes.

"If you're just taking advantage of him," she intoned, "you shouldn't be going out with him. But as your professor, I forbid you from dumping him now. He's too fragile. And with Terra gone, there's too much at stake if he runs away."

"O-okay," Sora said in a whisper. When he chanced a glance at Aqua again, he saw a woman blinded by hubris, hubris he expected was handed down to her by Eraqus. Hints of it reflected in Ventus. The opposite was true for Roxas and Terra. Sora wondered if that was what made them run away. The constant sting of disappointment. Perhaps traveling out of Eraqus' sphere of influence would do Aqua and Ventus good. For some reason, Sora remembered how Soddy asked him to escape to the outer world with him. Instead of filling Sora with rancor as usual, the memory was a relief.

"Ansem's not as intimidating as you might think," he blurted out loud. "He acts a lot like a sixteen year old sometimes, even though he looks like he's hitting thirty five. Only, back away if he tells you to let your heart become darkness, or to open up and plunge deeper."

Aqua gazed on Sora in stupor. In return he waved and said goodbye. Before he could trudge into the hallway, Aqua stopped him with a yelp. When he turned back in curiosity, she gave a plastic, anxious grin.

"Uh, don't tell anyone about this conversation, okay?" she whispered. After sucking in a deep breath and smoothing out her robes, she said in a more teacherly voice, "t-to maintain the mentioned parties' continued emotional safety and encourage scholarly, uh, spirit."

Sora furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, attempting in vain to qualify the statement. After giving up, he mimed zipping his mouth and throwing away the key. Aqua beamed and gave a breathy chuckle. Sora shut her office door and trudged away, scowling and shoving his hands in his pockets as he went. As he whistled his way to the stairwell, the sound of echoing footsteps rose towards him. Just as he reached for the handle, the exit door opened and Reno stopped before him. Sora gaped up at the man in surprise, trying to mask the feeling of guilt creeping through him. Reno blinked down in shock. Then, his face crinkled with a grin and he held out his arms.

"Sora!" he sang, pulling the boy into a tight embrace. Sora gave a light hug in return and patted the small of Reno's back when Reno rubbed his shoulders. When the man separated from him, he held Sora's forearms and looked him up and down with a beam.

"Heard you trounced your final, my boy," he cooed. Sora chuckled as a smile tugged at his mouth.

"We-well it was all, all Roxas really," he mumbled. Reno's eyes narrowed in thought. He murmured that Roxas was a powerful creature.

"Wouldn't mind wielding two of those babies myself," he added, "let alone getting my hands on one."

"They're a big responsibility," Sora mumbled. Reno laughed and moved his palms before him as if holding something precious.

"Imagine if we paved a new way for wielding the key blade," he murmured, animated eyes twinkling with wild gesticulations. "Wielders employed under a common master, serving and passing down to multiple wielders at a time. All trained for the same Mark of Mastery. Great thought, huh? Revolutionized protection."

"Sure sounds nice," Sora acquiesced. Reno chuckled and threw his arm around Sora's shoulder again, rubbing up and down. Sora realized they were walking towards Reno's office. He beat down the gulp rising in his throat as they burst into the same multistep lecture hall he had spent countless times in during the summer. When they reached Reno's desk, he plopped down and crossed his feet over the top, slipping his hands behind his head and leaning back in satisfaction. He pierced Sora with a knowing glance. Sora gave an anxious chuckle. Reno's brows furrowed. He leaned in. Winked.

"So how's the spying on ol' Soddy going?" he asked, as if Sora was a trusted accomplice in a bank heist. Sora snorted and shrugged. Reno chuckled with him and leaned back again, repeating his question in a more serious fashion. Sora wrinkled his nose.

"It's been hard," he admitted.

"Pray tell?" encouraged Reno, dipping a bag of chips from one of his drawers and popping it open. When he offered Sora the bag, the boy could not resist. He took five crisps and chomped through them at once. Reno laughed and took a glug from his water bottle. He shared that with Sora, too. When they finished munching, Sora admitted that Soddy irritated him sometimes.

"He's just this jacked tan guy who wears clothes too small for him," he insisted to Reno's amusement. "And he tries to get all deep and philosophical with your problems, like 'I remember when I was a young tyke' and stuff like that."

"Were you going to Soddy for therapy?" Reno asked. Sora scoffed at the mere suggestion.

"At first I thought he was following me around," he said. "But I'm starting to think that we just like the same places."

To this, Reno let out a strange, measured laugh and wink. When Sora stared at him in confusion, he grinned and murmured that that was a dangerous assumption. "Trackers are excellent at hiding what they do."

Sora nodded in agreement, kicking himself for thinking Soddy's intentions were anything but malicious. As he forced himself to remember how much he disliked the man, he began rattling on about Soddy's relationship and growing up advice, and how he kept talking about what Riku told him in the outer world. As Reno listened, his brows furrowed.

"So he speaks as though Riku is somewhere out there, hiding from us?" he asked. Sora nodded. "At first I thought people couldn't take key blades from one another. But in my dream quest, Riku took my key blade for a while. Maybe we're missing something."

"I want to believe you," Reno acquiesced. "But Xehanort and Xemnas keep insisting that Riku is right under our noses."

Sora nodded in thought. When he asked if they thought Soddy had trapped Riku in some sort of mind prison, Reno shrugged.

"Soddy is a private guy," he explained. "The guy he came with, DiZ, is even worse. There are several theories as to who he is, but most of them involve your dream quest."

"Yeah!" Sora chimed in. "Soddy was my bad guy!"

"Exactly!" said Reno. "And out of the entire student body, he seems most interested in you. Now, this could just be your mind sending a warning flag that he's a grade A weirdo. Since he stole Riku's body in your vision quest, we think what happened may have been along the same lines. Namely, that a malevolent entity transformed Riku's body and is controlling it."

"Fuck," breathed Sora in terror. Reno nodded and said that in that vein, Riku's soul may have been trapped inside some old Joe in the outer world.

"If we can just find his essence," Reno hissed. "Then we could really start the ball rolling."

"On what?" asked Sora. Reno blinked at him with an inscrutable expression. Then he shrugged and said, "everything. Taking down the bad guys."

"But who are the bad guys?" asked Sora. Reno chuckled and patted his hand, stroking Sora's palm in his own.

"I know things can get confusing," he cooed. "But just leave it to me. Have I led you astray since I brought you here in the first place?"

"No," whispered Sora. Reno beamed.

"I care about you!" he insisted. "I've always believed you could do great things. Still do. Even when it seems like I don't, I do."

"Yeah," Sora beamed. Reno clapped and shot him a big thumbs up.

"Oh, and one more thing, what were you and Master Aqua chatting about? Sounded like you two were having a heart to heart," he chuckled, lowering and raising his eyebrows in a funny way. Sora laughed at him. The lump rising in his throat stopped his speech. When he regained it, he croaked that she was just sad about Terra.

"Hm," Reno chirped, tapping his chin. When he asked Sora if he thought Aqua knew where Terra was, Sora shook his head. Reno stared him down with a narrow, mischievous glance. Then he gave him pointers for getting juicier information and sent him on his way.

For the rest of the evening, Sora helped LGBTQ set up the garden for karaoke. Coco cried when she saw the finished product. The entire maze glowed with streamers and balloons. Its center held a stage, two speakers, a microphone, and tables and a snack bar. Mulan had even constructed paper lanterns that floated on the wind for the occasion, buoyed by gentle fire she summoned from the end of a jagged sword. When night fell and the clearing glowed a multitude of soft pastels, the air filled with the scent of spices and the sound of laughter and chattering as people filed inside and seated themselves. Sora, Belle, Elsa, and Mulan warmed the crowd up with a few preliminary numbers. From then it was smooth sailing for the rest of the night. Though the Land of Departure was moving into its hottest, muggiest season, the clouds above stilled their showers until after the singing finished and the tables and streamers were stored safely in the black box costume closet. As the entire club walked through the front hall and up to the dorms together, Sora remembered that all key blade wielders would be stuck at school over the winter break. His heart fell when he imagined what it would have been like to see home again. He expected Kairi would travel back with Selphie, Tidus, and everyone else next week. When he let simmer the fact that he was going into the spring semester of his junior year of high school, he shivered.

For some reason, Ari broke away from him at the top of the stairs. When Sora slipped into his dorm room, it was empty. His shoulders sagged as the sound of silence draped over him. For a wild moment he considered running to Ventus and sleeping with him. But something deep down warned him against it. In defeat he tore off his shirt and trousers and rolled into bed. As he struggled to sleep, his imagination floated to Aqua, telling Roxas dressed as Eraqus that Ventus was giving Sora blowjobs in sheds. From there, the scene transformed to Sora sucking Soddy's knuckles and pressing the muscle between Reno's forefinger and thumb at the same time. As he worked, Reno asked Soddy where Riku was.

 _"Inside me,"_ Soddy cooed. A pair of pale hands snaked around his tan waist as something thrust against him from the back.

 _"No!"_ called Roxas as Eraqus from above. _"That's a replica!"_

A strange, cat like noise tore through the image as a black gloved hand grabbed Ari's hair and pulled him from Soddy into darkness. From there, the replica was being dragged down a corridor screaming for help, trapped on all sides by walls with pictures of Vanitas' face under searing, red branded XIII's, side by side.

~X~

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 **A/N: Follow, fav, review, please!**


	29. Fateful Goodbyes

**A/N: So many reviews! T.T Aw, R12... well thanks for keeping up the reading. You make writing this a dream. I've just graduated and I'm shirking my duties for the summer, but I'm hoping that if I write ahead enough, I'll still be able to put up chapters later on (that is the scent of misplaced priorities) Crazy will, if I had a gif to respond to your last question with, it would be the one with Chris Pratt gaping/stifling a giggle. Would Sora bottom? What is your heart telling you? (hahahaha) Get ready for warm fuzzies this chapter.**

 **Warning: violence, peril.**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Twenty Nine_**

~X~

Sora traipsed to the landing pad of the Galactic Federation transport vessel with the rest of the student body, huddled alongside Tidus, Selphie, Kairi, Belle, Joshua, and a host of friends from the Culture Club and LGBTQ. The vessel was a week late, so people were mad in anticipation of seeing home. Hercules promised to tell Phil how well Sora was doing. Neku said he would visit Sota and Nao. Joshua apologized for vomiting during the drag show. And a whole host of people invited Sora to their home worlds for the summer. Yuna gave him a peck on the cheek, chirping that she was planning to invite Tidus to her studio in Luca during the holidays. Sora evaded Quistis' lips. Kairi was one of the last to board the space shuttles. When Sora stepped before her to say goodbye, she gave him a tight hug and wished him the best.

"Gotta admit, I'm jealous," she sighed into his shoulder. When Sora blushed and mumbled that there was nothing to be jealous over, Kairi pierced him with a pointed glance and chuckled.

"I've hid behind you guys since the first day we met, hoping my story would start once yours finished." she murmured. "Maybe waiting isn't enough anymore."

The dark determination Sora had noticed in her eyes earlier in the semester returned like a whip. Even after everything, it still surprised Sora how much she had changed. For a fleeting moment, the fear that she would change even more when she was away shackled itself around his chest. Just when the chill became unbearable, Kairi's playful glare returned. She gave a crooked grin and poked Sora in the nose.

"And be sure to bring my lucky charm back to me!" she said in a high pitched, little girl voice. Sora laughed out loud. Kairi chuckled. Then she gave Sora one more hug, a kiss on the cheek, and waved a final goodbye. As Sora touched the place where her lips had been and watched the remaining federation vessel disappear into the sky, he sighed and let his shoulders fall. In dejection he returned to school alone. As he trudged across the forecourt, he noticed Ari and Naminé huddled outside the maze. Ari leaned over her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Naminé cupped her hands over her mouth at whatever suggestion he had let slip and screeched laughter. When she responded, Ari's guffaw filled the entire valley. In sudden excitement he swooped her up and began dancing her around, singing what Sora could only imagine was Beyoncé in the process. Naminé moved as if in bliss. When they came together again, their lips crushed against each other. Sora gaped. After several moments of melancholy voyeurism, he wrenched himself away and trudged up the front steps. The front hall was empty. So was the exit stairwell. When he reached the dorm hall, it was silent save for a scuffling coming from inside his room. At first he thought it was Ari. When he remembered that he was in the garden swallowing his former crush, Sora's brows pursed together. In anxiety he slipped the key into the door and bashed it open. When he stumbled inside and the stranger within turned to stare at him, he gasped. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Coral cheeks with dusty freckles. Sharp, sandy blond brows. Ventus? No.

"Roxas," Sora breathed in disbelief. When he held his arms out for a hug, Roxas ignored him and continued stuffing clothes into the bag he had chucked into the center of the floor. It was already half packed. Sora watched the clothes shove in as if in a trance. When he snapped back to life, he knelt at Roxas' side and put on a weak smile. Roxas stared down as if no one was there, humming to himself as he settled his belongings down in quick strokes. The boy who had sobbed into Sora's chest after the drag show was gone. Roxas' dependable, cool and collected self had returned. Not a hint of emotion graced his cheeks.

"Hi," Sora whispered. "I've missed you."

"How's Ventus?" Roxas asked. Sora stuttered and blushed.

"He's... fine," he muttered. Roxas nodded and heaved himself up. He fiddled around his desk for his toiletries. When he emptied them into his travel bag, he pressed the sides together and zipped everything up.

"Where are you going?" chanced Sora. Roxas shrugged and hitched up his backpack, checking everything inside.

"Taking an empty dorm for the time being, then off for winter work," he explained.

"Oh," Sora whispered as Roxas moved past. "So, so you'll still be in the Land of Departure, right?"

"No," Roxas responded. "I'll be gone the entire winter break."

"Oh," Sora mumbled with widened eyes. Roxas fixed him with a nonchalant gaze and pursed lips.

"Eraqus has a troupe of very positive people," he reasoned. "They'll cheer you up."

"I'm fine," Sora grumbled, prickling. Roxas shrugged and glanced out the window. Sora shuffled from foot to foot.

"Will I see you before next semester?" he asked. Roxas shook his head, still fixed on the window.

"I suspect not," he qualified. "I'll be too busy to even think of you." Then he turned and gave Sora a bright nod. "But it was nice getting to know you."

"Nice- what?" Sora barked. Roxas hoisted his travel bag and backpack over his shoulder as he opened the door. Sora tried to block his path, but Roxas was faster. The boy slipped into the hall with an unconcerned swagger as Sora trundled behind him in grief.

"Oh," the blond added, rummaging through his pocket and digging out something small and rectangular. When he chucked it through the air and Sora caught it in his hands, he saw that it was Roxas' iPod.

"I'm getting a new one," Roxas said. "Give it a listen and move your musical taste past 80's Destiny Islands classics."

Sora gaped at the device and grinned in spite of himself. He thought Roxas would throw his things into one of the dorms across the hall. But he pushed through the exit stairwell and clobbered down. Sora scrambled after him at a run.

"How will you get off the Land of Departure?" he asked. "Vessels don't come back till February."

Roxas chuckled and murmured that there were other ways of traveling between worlds. Sora nodded and remembered Terra's armored vehicle, wondering if Roxas had one as well. When the question that had been burning inside him for weeks returned to his mind, he clutched for Roxas' arm and bit his lip in anxiety. When Roxas gifted him an unconcerned glance, he chuckled and scooted closer.

"Um, I, I heard, some people were, were alluding-"

"I fucked Vanitas," Roxas said flatly. Sora blinked at him in shock. Roxas shrugged and nodded.

"Wait, wha-"

"I wouldn't suggest repeating it," Roxas added. Then he turned and continued down the stairs. When Sora asked why he did it, Roxas shrugged and said he felt like it. Sora gritted his teeth. Vanitas' response to the same question, _"because of you,"_ echoed in his head. But he failed to find the lie in Roxas' eyes, which stared forward unabashed.

"I'm sorry for doing stuff with Ventus," Sora blurted suddenly. Roxas blinked and shrugged.

"We were never a couple, Sora," he said. "I fucked multiple people while I was kissing you. You can do whatever you want. No big deal."

"O-oh," Sora whispered in shock.

"I'd say don't break his heart," Roxas sighed. "But I don't like him very much."

Sora gave a weak chuckle. As he stared at the back of Roxas' bobbing blond head, he felt the overpowering urge to throw his arms around him. For a moment he wished that he had let Roxas touch him more. His nipples, his penis, the space behind his balls. The dimples in his back, a soft spot Roxas had never had the chance to find. Even what Vanitas had done to him. What Ventus had almost done multiple times. It made the emptiness that had clawed at him for weeks burn. As he stared at Roxas in yearning, Roxas burst open the door to the forecourt and trudged through. An Organization member was waiting for him outside. One with a mane of spiky red hair. When Roxas reached his side, the man gave a curt hello. Roxas returned the sentiment without eye contact.

"I'm taking my things into town," Roxas announced. "I'll meet you later."

Axel nodded and thanked Roxas for keeping him up to date. Roxas shrugged through the front double doors and was gone. Axel and Sora watched him disappear in silence. Then Axel clapped his hands, squared his shoulders, and turned around. When he caught Sora's eye, he beamed.

"Everything's heading back to normal!" he chirped. "Congratulations on making it through another semester."

"Thanks," Sora grumbled in hesitation. He had not talked to the redhead for weeks.

"Can't say the same for Hayner," Axel sighed. Sora nodded, remembering that Hayner's name had been absent from the list of continuing students tacked on the front hall bulletin wall the 18th of December. As the pair steeped in the school's new silence together, Axel coughed an apology for the way he had acted for the last few weeks.

"I said a lot of things that were out of line," he murmured. "I was going through some heavy stuff and took it out on you."

"Well, you were right," Sora said glumly. Axel shrugged and chuckled. "And I didn't mean to push you away when you tried helping Roxas after the show, or when you started dating Ventus. Roxas was just going down a dark spiral. Sometimes an outside eye can see something a, uh... a friend can't."

"Was the dark spiral my fault?" asked Sora. Axel shrugged and said that Roxas had suffered a bad crush.

"Every once in a while his boyhood rears its ugly head," he chuckled. "Kept him in a funk for weeks this time around. Finally got rid of it a couple days ago."

"But he _is_ a boy," Sora insisted. "He's only sixteen."

Axel shot Sora an inscrutable glance. When he asked how Ventus was doing, Sora nearly flipped his lid.

"Why do people keep asking me that?" he hissed. As he tore through his hair and scowled, Axel shrugged. Soon the pair found themselves walking up the stairs together. A question was bubbling on Sora's lips. When it fully formed in his head, he stopped Axel and asked if he could handle a personal question. Axel raised an eyebrow. Then he nodded.

"You're good at restraining yourself until the time is right, right?" asked Sora. Axel chuckled, murmuring that he liked to think he was. Sora nodded and scratched the back of his head. When he asked how Axel did it, Axel sighed and cocked his head to the side.

"To be honest, Sora," he murmured. "Came mostly for me with age and experience. I fucked up a lot when I was your age. Still do, in some ways. Sorry for cursing, by the way," he added in a lazy fashion, as if the rest of the student body's absence offered fresh freedoms.

"What if I need to quit fucking up right now?" growled Sora. Axel stared down at him in amusement. When he saw Sora's expression, he cracked a smile.

"It's all a game you set the rules to, Sora," he explained. The teacherly spirit seeming to take over inspired him to pat Sora's back and throw his arm around his shoulder. "Say, if there's any information you're worried about spilling or decisions you need help making, just come to me."

"What if that involves sexual decisions?" Sora warned. Axel blinked down at him in shock. Then he chortled and narrowed his eyes.

"You know what, Sora?" he mused. "You come to the wrong people for advice."

"What?" Sora breathed. Whatever had glinted in Axel's eye a moment before disappeared as he shrugged.

"Saying no to sex when it's readily available at your age is difficult," he evaded. "Takes practice and determination. I say just go for it. Have fun while you can."

"But what if I break someone's heart?" Sora asked.

Axel chuckled and shook his head. "Hearts get broken over boundaries," he explained. "If you set the boundaries in the beginning, you save yourself a mountain of trouble at the end."

"Like what boundaries?" Sora asked.

"Like whether you just want to have fun, or whether you want love," Axel responded. "And if they can't respect those boundaries, that's their problem."

"But, should I wait to get to know people before I, I," Sora blubbered. Axel rolled his eyes. "Sora." he intoned. "When I was your age I did whatever I wanted. If I was horny, I found a stranger. One time I made the mistake of going for my best friend."

"Nuggets," Sora breathed. Axel nodded and pursed his lips.

"If you go for people you know and care for, there are consequences," he said. "The person could want a relationship and not even realize it themselves. And then the friendship disintegrates. I've never kept a friend after I stopped having sex with them."

"I'm sorry," Sora whispered. Axel shrugged and glanced at his shoes, muttering that it was a problem he was working on.

"I've found that taking breathers when things start getting serious helps," he added. "That's what my guy and I are doing right now."

"Oh," Sora said. Axel shrugged. Then he intoned, "but I didn't tell you any of this, right?" Sora nodded to hide his befuddlement. Axel straightened and grinned.

"I've been getting in way too much trouble lately for helping your ass out," he sighed.

"If people stopped giving me cryptic answers," Sora began to mutter in return, but Axel stopped him with a scoff.

"Sora, in real life, away from this fantasy-hero-land, there's no magic key to unlock all your problems. Not even the key blade can do that. Some things you have to figure out for yourself."

Sora glanced away in dejection. He hated figuring things out for himself. As silence returned, Axel scanned the horizon, rolling his tongue around the inside of his mouth.

"Are you still spying on Soddy?" he asked suddenly. Sora gave a quick, defensive nod. Axel stared down at him with wide eyes. Then he scowled and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Sora, I talked to you about this," he intoned.

"It's fine!" huffed Sora. "He hasn't even told me anything important yet!"

"How do you know that?" Axel murmured. Sora opened and closed his mouth. Then he shrugged. Axel continued staring him down. In irritation he swore under his breath and shook his head.

"Sora, I don't think you want anyone's advice at all," he muttered. "I think you just want an excuse to do whatever you like."

Sora blinked up at him in silence. Above, the clocks in the bell tower gonged. Axel snapped to attention and swore again. Then he swiveled on his heel and hurried in the direction of the front hall staircase. When Sora asked where he was going, he said he had a meeting. Sora clambered up the staircase by the great hall just as Axel charged to the end of the corridor beside. He appeared to be going towards the headmaster's office. Sora furrowed his brows as he watched him. Axel took a deep breath. Then he opened the door and disappeared inside. Sora pursed his lips in curiosity. With bitten lip he tiptoed to the door and set his ear to it. All he heard were muffled voices, Axel's nervous laughter, and shuffling paperwork. Scowling, he abandoned the effort, veering down the hall and stopping before Soddy's office. When he knocked on the door, there was a shuffle and bang. Then the latch undid, and a single orange eye peeked through. When it settled on Sora's determined expression, the eye twinkled and relinquished. The door opened. Soddy was in his black Organization coat again.

"Hello, Sora," he greeted. Sora nodded and returned the greeting. Then he asked why Soddy had not come down to see the students off. Soddy shrugged and sighed that goodbyes were none of his business. Sora gave a curt smile. When he looked further into the office, he gave a start.

Aqua was sitting at the visitor end of Soddy's desk scribbling something down on a scrap of notebook paper. Her back remained turned to Sora. When she finished the note she snapped the lid back on the pen she had been using and returned it to the cup at the right end of Soddy's desk. She turned and gave Sora a smile. Her cheeks shone rosy. Sora looked from Soddy to Aqua in wonder. A grin tugged on his cheek.

"Well I suppose I'll just..." he started, backing towards the door. Aqua stopped him and stood.

"I was just leaving," she said. Then she gave the note to Soddy and winked, murmuring that she would meet him at seven tomorrow evening. After she left and shut the door behind her, Sora raised an eyebrow. Soddy stuttered for a moment. A blush fired across his dark cheeks as he shuffled behind his desk.

"I thought you said you didn't want to give her a lie," Sora intoned. Soddy blubbered that there was no harm in staying friends.

"Besides," he reasoned with a shrug. "If I'm like this forever, I might as well get used to it." After a chuckle his shoulders sagged and his breath blew out in a quiet gust. He leaned towards the note and read it through. Grinned. His eyes moved over it again. When Sora tried standing and peering over the slant of the page, Soddy slipped the note into his pocket and narrowed his eyes. When he asked what Sora wanted, Sora shrugged.

"I guess you can't do weapon training tomorrow," he sighed. Soddy shook his head. "Wednesday, I can."

"That would be nice," Sora responded. Then he furrowed his brows and opened his mouth. No sound came out. Soddy blinked at him in expectation, a gentle smile playing across his cheeks. Sora scowled and tried again. Nothing came. What was it that he wanted to say? An apology? An entreaty? A cry for help? As he looked into the fiend's piercing orange eyes, every worry about Roxas, Axel, Ventus, and himself trickled to nothing, replaced by the image of Ari dancing with Naminé outside the maze, disappearing from the top of the dorm stairs the night of the LGBTQ celebration, and trying to add a ninth party hat to Axel's mane during Sora's birthday party that summer. Something sunk through his gut.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately..." he began. Suddenly, a strange commotion sounded outside the office, as if a hundred doors slammed open and shut at once. A crowd of voices rose through the air, crunching and rolling like gravel. Amongst them railed several, high pitched shouts. Sora and Soddy stared at each other with the same addled expression. Then, they jumped up and flew through the office at once. When Sora saw what the cause for commotion was, he gasped.

The Organization and what seemed like all of Shinra burst down the center of the hall towards the staircase together, shouting and bellowing over the sound of each other's voices. Reno took the lead with Eraqus and Xemnas. At the center of the crowd struggled several bobbing heads, shrieking and howling in indignation or fear. As Sora strained against gravity to see them full on, his eyes widened. Larxene bucked and roared for Xigbar to get his hands off of her. Vexen begged Xaldin in stuttering gibberish. Lexaeus and Zexion walked side by side, Lexaeus's hand shielded over the terrified younger's shoulder. Heading up the back tailed Vanitas. Axel sauntered expressionlessly before them with Naminé clutching his side. When Sora met her eye, his blood ran cold. He charged towards her calling her name. The entire crowd turned over their shoulders to stare. Before he could reach her, he was blocked by Axel and held back by Soddy. When Sora struggled against them, Axel warned him not to make a scene. When Sora asked what the nut was going on, Axel grimaced.

"Soddy," called Reno's voice from ahead. When Organization Thirteen and Eraqus turned towards him with raised brows, he stuttered, "Ansem!" then, collecting himself, he intoned, "keep Sora away."

"What?" Sora gasped. His lungs had been stolen from him. His throat could not take in oxygen. He gulped in vain, staring forward and back wildly for an explanation. When he looked into Soddy's eyes, Soddy commanded him to wait. Once the crowd traipsed through the front hall, Soddy let go of Sora's arm and plodded forward. Sora set his jaw and followed him.

The entire party hurried into the forecourt just as Nimo and Ari trudged up the mountain path towards them. When the boys raised their glance and saw the crowd of black suits hurrying forward, Nimo's eyes dulled while Ari's widened in befuddlement. For a moment he faltered through a strangled chortle. Then, in what seemed like slow motion, he turned and barreled past Nimo's shoulder. Riku's key blade formed in a dark spiral from his arm. A dark portal burst open ahead. Before he could reach it, a long, thin lance sliced the air above and pierced through the bottom of his left shoe. As the rod froze and buckled in place, Ari gasped. Then he howled, crumbling to the ground and clutching his foot. Sora stared at him rocking back and forth in wonder, convincing himself for a moment that it was all an elaborate prank and that Ari would hop up and laugh at him at any moment. But when the boy's sneaker turned from yellow to dark red, he clutched his stomach in nausea. Nimo stared past Ari with one hand on his hip and the other shielding his eye, shouting and waving hello. Another pair was coming up the mountain path behind them. One was Master Xehanort. The other was a man with long, slicked back black hair, a bindi in the center of his forehead, and a blue suit and black tie. He wiped his sunglasses on the hem of his jacket and murmured with Xehanort as they passed Ari's crumpled form. Xehanort patted his grandson's shoulder. Then he took his place at Eraqus' side while the blue suited man sauntered towards Reno. Reno indicated several people as he spoke. Ari, Larxene, Naminé, Lexaeus, Vexen, and Zexion. When the blue suit indicated Axel, Reno shook his head. Naminé heaved against Axel in desperation, biting her lip as though she might lose control if she did not. After Eraqus joined the conversation and the men finished talking, the blue suited man turned to Vexen and held out a badge.

"Doctor Vexen Kando, you are hereby under arrest for the illegal proliferation of replicas under the forbidden replica program. All replicas found in our outside your possession will be destroyed under Bill LXXV.78 of Shinra's constitution."

"No!" Naminé pleaded in a strangled cry.

"Aw," complained Vanitas, glancing towards Sora with a sigh of disappointment.

"Lexaeus Boat and Zexion Corazza, you are hereby under arrest as accomplices in the proliferation of Vexen's replica program under Bill LXXV.79 of Shinra's constitution."

Lexaeus nodded and stepped forward, still shielding Zexion, without a fight. Then the suited man turned to Naminé, Larxene, and Axel.

"Larxene Gray, Naminé Winter, and Axel Flynn, you are hereby under arrest as accomplices in the proliferation of Vexen's replica program under Bill LXXV.79 of Shinra's constitution and for the assault of students using patented Shinra technology under Bill LXIV.12 of Shinra's constitution."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," barked Reno, flinging his hands up in indignation. "Our previous investigation concluded that Axel was working as a spy for Shinra and Organization Thirteen in order to reveal Marluxia's guilt, and that Naminé acted under Marluxia's orders out of fear."

"A follow up investigation found holes," responded the blue suited man. As Reno moved to open his mouth again, Axel glanced towards Xemnas in expectation.

"Xemnas?" he intoned. "Anything you want to say about this?"

Xemnas pierced him with a cool gaze before stating, "despite your track record in recruitment, I might have." Then he shrugged and murmured, "but I find obstructing justice distasteful."

"Better ways to save the world!" Vanitas sang behind him with glee. Axel snapped up and whipped in the direction of Sora's gaze. When the two met eyes, Axel blinked in realization and gave a firm, sharp nod. Then he straightened his shoulders, clapped his hands, and turned to the blue suited man with a beam.

"Well!" he chirped. "It's nice to know where I really stand. So much for friends in high places!" As he sauntered forward, he knocked into Xemnas' arm and placed his hand on Reno's shoulder.

"Save dinner for me," he said with a wink. As Naminé watched Axel's back and glanced towards Ari's expression of horror, she set her jaw and shouted that she would go as well. The blue suited man nodded and asked Reno where No.i was.

"Sought by No. XIII as we speak," Xemnas responded for him.

"Is Sora Nomura here?" the blue suited man added. Sora stuttered forward on wobbly knees, stopped by Soddy with a single arm. When Sora struggled against him, he cinched tighter. As the blue suited man slipped his hand into his breast pocket and extricated his badge a third time, the front hall doors burst open with the boom of a thunderous voice. The entire forecourt whipped around in fright. When Sora saw who had driven the crowd silent, he gasped. Yen Sid hurried forward with a rancorous expression, commanding Eraqus to halt the monstrous proceedings. Ventus and Aqua scrambled behind him looking just as confused as Sora was.

"What is happening?" the old man demanded. Xemnas and Saïx, teachers Sora had not had the pleasure of studying under yet, shared a scoffing, narrow eyed glance. The man in the blue suit stepped forward and gave a curt bow.

"My name is Tseng," he explained. "I am Head of the Investigative Division of General Affairs at Shinra Electric Power Company."

"I know who you are," rumbled Yen Sid. When he turned to Eraqus, the headmaster averted his gaze. Yen Sid's expression darkened.

"Eraqus," he repeated. "What are you condoning?"

"Nothing, yet, Master," said Xemnas, with the slightest hint of a sneer. Yen Sid ignored him and extended his hand, explaining that the following proceedings could not possibly be taken out on The Land of Departure's soil.

"While our students signed contracts binding them to Shinra," he thundered to Tseng, "Myself, Mickey, and Masters Xehanort and Eraqus did not."

"Where _is_ your mouse?" asked Xemnas in a deep coo. "How can we stop these proceedings in his absence?"

"Because he's not absent!"

The entire standing party turned and glanced in awe towards the small figure clambering up the mountain path. Mickey wiped blood and sweat from his flushed cheeks. He looked as though he had flown through a jungle at light speed. As he walked, he rummaged through his pocket and relinquished his key blade. When he reached Ari's side, he puffed out his chest and said that if there needed to be a deportation trial, he was ready. Tseng and the rest of the assembled Turks scowled and shuffled from side to side. Eraqus flared his nostrils and straightened his chest. Mickey turned to him with a determined smile.

"I wasn't supposed to come back this early, no siree Bob!" he chuckled in a high pitched voice. Then his brows furrowed. "And if I didn't know any better, I'd say this little spiriting away was arranged specifically to happen when Yen Sid and I were out of the picture! Now if I know you at all, Eraqus, I know that that isn't true."

Eraqus' gaze remained fixed away. Aqua and Ventus stared at him as if pleading. Mickey pursed his lips and shook his head. When he glanced towards Tseng, his gaze drew hard.

"Now to me, it looks like you're taking away a good number of our students and faculty to a place where we have no jurisdiction!" he intoned. "I don't like that. I don't like that one bit." When he asked who exactly was being taken, Tseng indicated them one by one. When Mickey's glance settled on Naminé, Sora, and Ari, his mouth fell open in disbelief. He looked towards Eraqus with a bright beam.

"Eraqus," he chuckled. "I know you're a real nice guy. Part of the reason I like ya so much. Now I know it's not my place to make decisions for anyone. But I say we have ourselves a little vote on who goes and who stays. We have all four members of the original Key blade court, and by golly I say we induct a fifth."

"I agree, Mickey," said Yen Sid. He turned towards Aqua and bowed. Aqua gazed on him in awe. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"All in favor of inducting Master Aqua," Yen Sid murmured. Mickey and he said aye. Xehanort said nay.

"She is too young," he insisted. Aqua's shoulders fell as Eraqus agreed. Mickey glanced towards the headmaster aghast.

"Let us decide the fate of each accused," rumbled Yen Sid. They first indicated the members of Organization Thirteen. Xemnas stepped forward and said that Organization Thirteen was out of their jurisdiction. Tseng and Master Xehanort agreed.

"What about the kids?" insisted Mickey. "Naminé and Ari?"

"Naminé Winter and Replica 021?" intoned Tseng. Mickey nodded. "They're both enrolled as students," he insisted. "That means they're ours as well! And I see no reason to question or destroy either of them!"

"I agree," rumbled Master Xehanort. When everyone glanced towards him with raised brows, he shrugged and murmured that they were too young to be culpable of anything serious. "It would be cruel to treat them as anything more than children," he insisted. Yen Sid nodded in agreement. The three glanced towards Eraqus in wait. The man shuffled on the balls of his feet, wetting his lips. Xehanort grinned at him with narrowed eyes. Naminé cupped her hands and stared towards him in supplication. As he hesitated, Ventus gripped his hand.

"Dad," he whispered. Eraqus glanced towards him before furrowing his brows and driving forward his chest.

"Take the clone. The girl may stay," he snipped.

"Eraqus," Yen Sid boomed. "If you allow that boy to die, you shall lose one of the oldest friends you have!" he warned.

"Retire!" Vanitas' voice chanted with a shrill cackle. Xehanort shot him a warning glance, but did nothing. Vanitas snuggled against the entrance stairs in satisfaction as Yen Sid stared Eraqus down. As Mickey reached for his hand, Eraqus withdrew and thundered that his decision was final. With that, he disappeared for the school. There was brief silence. Then, Naminé began to wail. As the spear was lifted from Ari's foot, Aqua raised her key blade and cast the strongest cure Sora had ever witnessed. A massive dark orb burst and fizzled at the entrance to the mountain path. Lexaeus and Zexion went through first. Then Xigbar and a screeching Larxene. Then Xaldin and Vexen. Last, Axel, followed closely by Saïx. When Demyx scrambled towards Ari, Naminé screeched and barreled between his legs, knocking him over and embracing the silverette between strangled sobs. Ari hugged her tightly and rubbed her back. Demyx stood by with bitten lip, shuffling from side to side in trepidation as he watched them.

"I'm so sorry, Ari," Naminé whispered through hiccups as she ran her fingers down the sides of his face. "I should have protected you."

"It's okay, Naminé," Ari whispered in a waver. "Death doesn't frighten me. Good riddance to a phony life, right? My heart was never real, anyway. Even what I'm feeling now... it's probably fake." Suddenly, a shadow of terror passed over his eyes. His mouth fell open and trembled. His brows furrowed. "What happens when a fake dies- one like me?" he asked to no one. "Where will my heart go? Does it disappear?"

"It'll stay here," whispered Naminé, touching her chest. Ari blinked up as if seeing her for the first time. He smiled. As Luxord wrenched him up and Demyx clutched Naminé back, Sora shook his head in disbelief.

 _"No,"_ he whispered. Without thinking he summoned his key blade and charged forward, ignoring Soddy's thundering voice in his ear. Before anyone could register what he was doing, he shot a massive fireball straight for Demyx's back. As the blond screeched and keeled over, Luxord turned and summoned his cards. Sora pinged his key blade right between the man's eyes before he could move a muscle. When his weapon returned to his hand, he cast a barrier around Ari and Naminé and told them to run. Before Ari could clamor through the dark portal, a line of red light tore through him and sent him to the ground. Sora gasped in confusion. Then, something rammed into his back and lifted him off his feet.

For a moment, time stopped. Sora drifted through the air as if on a bed of clouds. When he hit hard dirt again, he cried out and crumpled in a heap, gasping for breath. The feeling that pulsed through his veins now was ten times worse than anything he had ever experienced, a potent combination of Axel's steaming skin and Vanitas' kick to his back. When a shadow passed over Sora's eyes and he glanced up, a cool orange gaze met his. Xemnas grinned as he stared him down.

"How wonderful," he cooed. "One less fool to waste my time..."

Another shadow passed before Sora's eyes as he felt a cure spell course through him. When he glanced up, his brows furrowed in shock. Soddy stood above him with key blade raised, goading Xemnas forward.

"Hurt him and see what I have to say," he intoned. Xemnas stared at Soddy in shock. Then, his eyes widened with something akin to realization. His mouth burst into a strange, gleeful grin. Soddy wilted under his narrowed glare. Sora glanced between the two men in confusion. When he looked further, he noticed that Demyx was still grasping Naminé. But Ari was gone.

As Aqua slipped forward and took Naminé in her arms, Demyx disappeared through the portal of darkness and Xemnas turned to follow. With one last, strangled cry, Sora dashed towards him. Before he could tear at his back, something stopped him in midair. He hung a meter above the ground like a motionless puppet, heart pumping and insides squirming. His eyes moved wildly from side to side. But the rest of him would not budge. He could not even scream. Xemnas saluted him in satisfaction. Then, with a saunter, he disappeared into blackness as well. Once the entirety of Organization Thirteen receded, the portal closed, and the remaining individuals gathered around the forecourt turned to go. Tseng moved to Reno's side and whispered in his ear. Reno nodded. Tseng called for the rest of Shinra to follow. One by one, they disappeared down the mountain path. As Nimo went to speak with Master Xehanort, Vanitas swaggered to Sora and stood before his frozen form. When he tried reaching out to prod him, Soddy took a step forward. Vanitas scoffed and held up his hands.

"Relax, lamo," he drawled. "I just want to say hi." Then he turned to Sora and sighed.

"If only you'd taken up my offer," he crooned in mock dejection. "Right about now they're probably scraping your replica's insides off some vivisection table in Shinra's basement. Bummer I couldn't help save his life. I would have loved to see what you did with my ex." As he strolled into the school, he cackled and bumped by Ventus' side. Mickey glowered towards the ravenette with narrowed eyes. When he glanced towards Yen Sid and asked if he should go after them, Yen Sid shook his head.

"Return to my tower to complete your Mark of Mastery," he intoned. "As usual, I shall accompany you. But it will be a one way trip. My time at this institution has come to a close." Mickey pursed his lips and glanced towards Naminé's sobbing form in sadness. When Yen Sid tested the wind and murmured that the time was now, Mickey sighed and said he was sorry. Then, he rummaged through his pocket again and slipped out a strange, broken star with a lightning bolt attached to its side. When he held the shard up, he disappeared in a beam of bright light that pinged up the academy's tallest tower until he receded like a shooting star into the sky. Aqua gasped. Yen Sid viewed the king's twinkling form in silence. Then, he bowed to Aqua and regarded Sora with a grave sigh.

"I suspect we shall have trouble before the new year," he warned. He turned to Soddy and told him to prepare for whatever came next. Then, he shrunk into a beam of white light and was gone. Soddy watched the space where he had stood in wonder. When he noticed Sora struggling against his frozen stupor from the corner of his eye, he snapped his fingers and let the boy go. Sora cried out as he tumbled to the ground. Before he could lunge towards the space where the Organization had once stood, Soddy caught him and commanded him to calm down. Aqua slumped with Naminé against the forecourt wall. Ventus stared ahead of them with fists clenched. With a snarl he slipped something from the front of his pants and clamped it around his shoulder. Sora recognized it immediately. When Aqua saw it, too, she gasped.

"Wait," she shrieked behind him. Before she could shout for him to stop, Ventus jammed the blue button on the holster's side and bathed the forecourt in blinding light. When it receded, he was decked in his own suit of armor. Two smaller, backwards curving horns erupted from his helmet, the same as Terra's. With a strong thrust, he flung his key blade through the air and watched as it turned into a massive hover board. When it dipped towards him, he spun through the air and jumped on its back. Then, pointing himself towards the twisting orb forming in the sky, he fired up and sliced into nothingness as Aqua charged towards the space where he had stood. Without thought she jammed down one of the orange orbs fixed to her sleeves and sheathed herself in armor as well. As she reeled back her arm to throw her key blade, though, she gasped, "Eraqus!" and turned towards the front doors. She shifted from side to side in anxiety, looking from the school to the sky with clenched fists. Then, she turned to Sora and called his name. Sora glanced through Soddy's arms.

"Sora," she repeated. "I- I just want to know. How... how much did the replica feel? How human was he?"

"More human than most of the people I've met here," Sora said. Aqua's shoulders shot up. She nodded. Then, unclenching her fists, she flung her key blade through the air and waited as it transformed into a strange, metallic chariot. After jumping on its back, she glanced behind her and nodded. Then she turned her head towards the forming, twisting orb in the sky, and slashed through it. When the sparkling light of her departure disappeared, the forecourt returned to dull emptiness. Soddy and Sora stood at the forecourt center as Naminé cried in silence. When Sora moved towards her, she wiped her eyes and looked up at him. For a moment he stuttered over himself, searching for the right thing to say. All that repeated back to him was his promise to keep Ari safe.

"I failed him," he echoed. Once the words left his lips, Naminé shook her head.

"It's not your fault," she sniffed. "We... I should have known... from the start." She clutched her hands to her heart and attempted to smile. When she could not, she wandered towards the maze alone. Sora remained frozen at the forecourt center, watching as she receded amongst the wilting roses, wishing he could disappear himself.

~X~

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 **A/N: I felt like giving you all a treat for your lovely reviews, so quick upload! Will I regret these quick uploads later when I get really busy and have nothing to put up? Perhaps. Perhaps I will.**

 **This was a hell of a chapter. Yes, I know, the only warm fuzzy present was the** **sensation of the tears trickling down your cheeks... keep following, favoriting, and reviewing! I'm sure you'll love the next round of chapters. **


	30. Ice Cream with Friends

**A/N: Thanks for the follows, favs, and reviews! Keep it up! Like all fan fiction writers, I love getting feedback because it gives me fuel and inspiration for each successive chapter. Enjoy!**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Thirty_**

~X~

The next four weeks passed like a dense fog in a dream. The school grounds responded with a spike in temperature unnatural even to The Land of Departure's tropical climate. The heat and mugginess undaunted by the river and coasts seemed cruel. No one wanted to go outside except Sora, who began hating the feel of the frigid filtered air of the Academy's halls, basements, and classrooms. Instead of letting the events of last month hound him, he started taking walks around the grounds. He would trundle through the overgrowth to the riverside, climb the Departure Peaks to see the scorched blossoms, peer down the waterfall on the summit, and wander from town to its extreme outskirts, where the plant and animal life took on a more insidious nature. Banana spiders, thorny beetles, and vipers proved common. Their threat kept Sora's mind from hazing. Every moment a vision of Ari or Naminé or even Axel played in his head, he would catch something out of the corner of his eye. Then the watchfulness would return, and the cycle would continue until Sora could think of nothing but the heat, his thirst, his hunger, the peeling of the skin on his cheeks and shoulders, and the wobble of his knees as dizziness set in. After four weeks of this, Sora was certain he knew the Land of Departure's geography better than anyone else. Maybe he could do a science project on it for extra credit, or something. Ari would have been a good partner to have. He had lived for that sort of stuff.

Naminé withered away in the basement with the memory pods until the Friday of the first week, when a strange, cubic, multicolored vessel touched down in the valley to pick her and the teacher with the red bandages up. She said goodbye to no one. Sora received a letter on the second week along with a charm in the shape of a paopu fruit. A small note attached read, _please keep this safe for me. I won't be in a position to use it much longer._ The letter beside was a jumble of gibberish with _keep this to yourself!_ scrawled at the very end. That was the last Sora heard from her. Despite the letter's ominous nature, he took it as a beacon of hope. Without Ari, Ventus, or Roxas to keep him company or Vanitas to torment him, Sora found himself utterly alone. At the second week's close, upon approaching neurosis from lonesomeness, he holed himself up in the library, starting on the letter A in the culture section and working his way book by book until he got through Z. After that, he wandered around and peeped through what interested him. Once he had finished most of the history section and all of the LGBTQ section, he abandoned the Academy altogether and began his walks. Through the forest banking the river beneath the peaks, past the village, and out, further and further, until the last day of the fourth week, when he stumbled past banana spiders, beetles, and vipers, and met with a cliffside overlooking the unforgiving western beaches. After that, he turned and trudged until he passed through the crevice behind the waterfall. He glanced past the spray and squinted to see if he could spy the summit edge, wondering if particles of what had sprayed from him the night of the drag show still lingered in the pool below. The next day he started there and wandered until the smell of salt water budded along his upper lip. That signaled the eastern beaches. His walks started so early and his journeys took so long he had to crawl his way up the forecourt in pitch black when he returned exhausted to the school. That was the only way he could sleep soundly. Otherwise, familiar nightmares of screams, cackling radios, and little black creatures with beaming yellow eyes crawled around his head until the sun came up. If only he had a friend to confide in, he thought, things might get better. But he was not about to tell Cid Haze that one of his closest friends had been sentenced to death for being an illegal clone, or that another had disappeared for "winter work" before he could confess his love for him.

Instead he began sleeping in Ventus' room. The boy had left his door unlocked when he ran away, and Sora had never informed Eraqus that Ventus had left the key on his bedside table. Sora gathered that Ventus took Terra's wooden key blade along for the journey, because it was gone from his desk. Before sleeping, he would snuggle beneath Ventus' covers, smell his sheets, plug in Roxas' iPod, and let his mind wander. He wondered what the outside worlds were like. The only ones he knew by touch were Olympus Coliseum, Destiny Islands, and the Land of Departure. He had seen so many in his vision quest. And judging by the vast difference in children attending the Academy, there must have been hundreds he had never dreamed of. He wondered which one Roxas was in right now. Which one Ari had been in last.

Reno remained holed up in his office, steeped in Shinra's Organization Thirteen trials. Sora barely saw him at all. He continued taking key blade lessons from Soddy. The more sessions passed by and the more small talk crept between them, the harder Sora found it to keep his emotions in check. At the fifth week's end, when the climate was its hottest and Sora and Soddy traipsed around the bottom of the waterfall to escape the heat and dip their heads beneath the spray for the umpteenth time, Sora cut his losses, peeled off his clothes, and dived into the pool below. As his bare body sunk beneath the waves and Soddy's screeching voice disappeared in a jolt of water, Sora pierced into cool darkness and breathed out, suspending himself in the river's caress as he opened his eyes. The water around him was clear as crystal. Below his feet, black. He shivered and pointed his toes towards the sun, swimming deeper. The water turned to liquid ice the further he crept. The voice of the waterfall's spray quieted until it sounded like a tap left on in another room. Sora's heart beat through his ears. The tiny drums that pulsed beneath his skin whenever someone touched him returned. Warmth stung around his eyes. His lungs began to burn. Sora sliced his hands in an arrow ahead of him and drew them back, kicking and driving so deep his arms disappeared to his shoulders when he pushed them ahead of him. What little skin he could see turned darker and darker. His honey tan transformed to burnt mud. Then, ashen, bluish grey. Black dots circled around his vision. He bit his lip against the need for breath pulling down his throat. He clutched madly for sand or stone, his arms trembling with weakness. He swam until his body refused to move. He clutched his chest. Nostrils flared. Then, he let himself relax. As he floated through nothingness, unable to see himself no matter where he looked, he wondered if this was what Riku felt like when he slipped into darkness. For a single, maddening moment, Sora believed with all his heart that if he stayed in deep, watery black just a little bit longer, he would find him. A thrumming rushed through his ears. His eyes fluttered closed. Something strong and warm circled around his waist. He lurched upwards, too weak to struggle. The water warmed. His arms reappeared below him. A big, bronze limb revealed itself, clamped around his stomach.

When the cold disappeared and Sora's head breached the waves, he opened his mouth and gasped in a long, shuddering breath. His heart beat so hard he felt as though it would explode. As he groaned and leaned against whoever supported him, he shivered and sucked warm oxygen into his aching lungs. Soon, his body was being pulled from the water completely. He collapsed onto grey stone with a sputter, curling his toes to his chest as the man beside him panted and rolled from his side. A shadow passed over Sora's head. A firm hand gripped his shoulder and shook him. A garbled voice echoed in his ear. Repeated a word that started with an "S."

"Sora!" Soddy roared as he wrenched Sora back and forth. When Sora rolled onto his stomach and wretched against the wet ground at his side, Soddy ran his trembling fingers through his hair and rubbed the boy's back.

"Minerva, Sora," his voice shook. "Were you trying to drown yourself?" Sora winced as he glanced towards him. His vision was still blurry. He could barely make out Soddy's face. His features were a pool of sienna pierced by two orange, glistening flames. Sora glanced towards the puddle of sick at his side and let his body sink into the stone. He sighed that he was sorry. Soddy scowled and sat with hands clasped before him at his side. For a moment he glared into the forest ahead. Then he shook his head and demanded to know what Sora thought he was doing.

"You've played in water your entire life," he warbled. "You know how dangerous it is. You know you could have died."

"I just wanted to see Riku," Sora slurred. Silence erupted at his side. Soddy stared into Sora's eyes. Sora shut them and sniffed. A hook pierced through his Adam's apple and tugged it towards his stomach. He gulped it back up. When he tried to breath, he whimpered. A warm palm circled his back again. Sora expelled a piercing cry. Then, he gasped in a stuttering breath and sobbed. Soddy's circling hand grew faster as Sora clutched the ragged stone surrounding. For a moment the hand circled Sora's waist again, as if Soddy were planning to heave Sora into his arms. Then, it stopped. Soddy relinquished his grip completely. Sora groaned as he contemplated wrapping his arms around the man's hips. His heart tore in two. In the end, he hugged himself, wailing at his enemy's side for what felt like hours. When the crying stopped, he sat up and gasped. A piercing like a knife stabbed behind his eyes. He swayed. Soddy caught him and pushed his head between his knees, circling his hand around his back again.

"Minerva," he repeated in a voice tinged by exhaustion. "That was one of the most terrifying moments of my life."

"Why?" Sora croaked. "Cause you would have gotten fired if I drowned?"

Soddy snapped silent. Sora should have felt guilty for the jab, but he forgot to care. Soddy sniffed. Sora remembered how much he loathed the man's simpering.

"Times like this," the man whispered, "make me feel guiltiest."

"Of what?" Sora asked. Soddy shook his head and set his jaw. When Sora stared him down, he noticed the man had jumped in fully clothed. Or, as clothed as usual. All he wore were socks, converses, and his customary 70s running shorts, white this time. Light blue briefs hazed beneath the pale sodden cloth. Sora sighed and pulled his head from between his knees, wincing as the blood rushed to his crown. After Soddy washed his sick from the riverside, he gathered Sora's clothes, pulled his arm around his shoulder, and spirited him towards the valley path leading past the burger joint. When they reached the old white stone temple, Sora asked to sit down. Soddy watched like a hawk as the boy laid his stomach against the grass and spread his legs. Then he trudged around the temple corner. Sora saw his converses fly off. When he scooted forward on his stomach, he caught sight of Soddy wringing out his socks. When the man slipped off his shorts and briefs as well, Sora gaped into the grass. The man held his clothing at arm's length, glancing into the sky unperturbed as he heaped his long hair atop his head to let his neck dry. His backside and feet were three shades lighter than the rest of him. Sora tapped his heels together lazily as he watched him lean to one side.

 _Beings of darkness must all be good looking,_ Sora thought to himself. _Must be how they reel in their prey..._

"I'm dry!" he called suddenly, smirking as Soddy tumbled backwards and yelped. Once Soddy was clothed and Zell's old shorts encased Sora again, Sora mumbled that he needed to return to the school.

"Are you sure?" Soddy asked. "We could go into town for a while. I'll get you some ice cream."

Sora stopped mid walk and bit his lip with a grimace. Then he scowled and stomped to Soddy's side, asking how the heck he was going to get food without a wallet. Soddy rummaged through his pocket and brought out a sodden lanyard with his school ID attached. Sora's shoulders fell. He shrugged and dug his fingers in his pockets. Soddy chanced a smile. Then he swiveled on his heel and led Sora towards the village. After breaching its border and forcing Sora to drink two bottles of water, they walked through as many sprinklers as they could until they reached the shade of the village center park. Across the lawn was a man selling ice cream cones. Soddy told Sora to sit tight. Then he disappeared to the back of the line. Sora watched him with narrowed eyes as he smiled at the ice cream man. Soddy threw back his head and laughed. Sora gritted his teeth. Soddy returned with a chocolate and vanilla cone. Gummy bears peeked out of the snowy head of the vanilla. Sora's had chocolate sprinkles. When it was gifted into his hands, Soddy snuggled beneath the shade of the tree beside. Sora stared as he sighed and relaxed against the trunk. When Sora traipsed to his side, Soddy mumbled that he was exhausted.

"It's been one long ass week," he murmured. Instead of responding Sora ran his tongue along the outside of his cone. The cream was melting fast, sending the sprinkles in avalanches towards the sugar cone lid. Soddy examined the struggle with one eye open, popping a gummy bear and a dollop of vanilla into his mouth whenever his cone threatened to slop against his chest.

"Interesting eating habits," the man sighed. When Sora raised an inquiring brow, Soddy shrugged and muttered that he thought Sora was a biter.

"I don't do that anymore," Sora scowled. Soddy inhaled another gummy bear.

"Good," he chirped. "Means you've learned patience."

Sora gritted his teeth and chomped the top clean off. As he attempted to ignore the brain freeze crippling his palette, Soddy finished his cone and wiped his hands along his abdomen. The closer he snuggled to the tree trunk, the faster his eyelids drooped.

"I hear the Organization returns this evening," he slurred. Sora whipped towards him in disbelief.

"You mean Ari, too?" he gasped. For a minute his heart soared. When Soddy's responding glare pierced his glance, though, it popped like a balloon. Sora's shoulders sagged as he deflated. Soddy pursed his lips and shook his head.

"It was a cruel, doomed life," he insisted. "A provisional puppet. How could it have lasted at all?"

Sora closed his eyes and sat back, remembering the feeling of suspension in darkness. The burning in his lungs, the icy prickle numbing his skin. Was Ari in that darkness now? Was his soul pining in the same place as Riku's? Or had he drifted to nothingness like sand along a rootless shore?

"Would Riku have wanted a shadow dogging him for the rest of his life?"

Sora snapped to life and stared Soddy hard in the eye. The man gifted him an equally piercing glance in return.

"The Riku I knew," Sora insisted, "would not have let someone die because they looked like him." Soddy fell silent. Then he sucked in a breath. A word clung to the air surrounding his tongue. But as he sighed, its inspiration disappeared.

"You're taking it hard," he murmured finally.

"He was my best friend," Sora intoned. "All my best friends are gone."

A stronger, painful silence sliced the air at his side. In curiosity, he peeked open an eye to see what Soddy was doing. The man sat with his back turned to Sora, staring out at the children playing amongst the fountains on the green ahead.

"Before she left," Soddy murmured. "Aqua told me you and Ventus became close."

Sora closed his eyes. When Soddy's stare bored in hard enough for him to fidget, he muttered that they had hung out.

"Despite everything he did last semester?" asked Soddy. Sora snapped an eye open and narrowed it, asking what Soddy knew about what Ventus did. Soddy shrugged and said that Aqua had told him a few things. Sora furrowed his brows.

"Ventus didn't tell Aqua what he did to me," he insisted. Soddy shrugged and muttered that Sora would be surprised.

"Ventus confided in Terra quite a bit towards the end of his Mark of Mastery," Soddy murmured. "Even more so after the exam ended. Got to the point where Aqua felt like she hardly knew him anymore. It hurt her feelings. Anything Terra told her, she told me."

"So you're using her to get information on me?" snapped Sora. When Soddy's mouth dropped open, everything made sense. The obsession with Mickey. The need for Aqua to mentor him. The dates. The relinquishing of the hand. The excuses. The "I don't want to give her a lie" spiel. The "key blade lessons." It all concurred. It was brilliant.

Sora stared into Soddy's eyes with contempt, wondering how the beast could dare act so genuine. Something like exasperation tore through his orange irises as he shifted away and hugged himself close. His lip trembled as he shook his head. An intriguing hatred bared his teeth as he snickered.

"You know what, Sora?" he hissed. "Not everything is about you."

Sora blinked up at him in surprise. Soddy's glance remained fixed away. "You forgive people who've hurt you in real life," he insisted, "but ones you meet in dreams you cast off!"

"My dreams mean something and you know it!" Sora cut in response. Soddy's hands pressed to his sides as he threw his head back and looked to the sky above the leaves. Something familiar flashed through his eyes. His shoulders sagged. His eyes averted.

"I don't know if I can stand this anymore," he whispered. "It's too hard."

A deep sadness welled in Sora's stomach as he smiled in triumph. When Soddy gazed at him again, he asked if Sora had learned anything from him in their time together. Sora pursed his lips. Soddy had taught him a massive number of combat tactics, both defensive and offensive. He had given him the best advice of any teacher on campus. He had done a good job of acting like he cared about Sora. And he had guarded him from Xemnas when the man advanced on him during Ari's arrest.

Sora pursed his lips, muttering that Soddy was a teacher, after all. Soddy snorted and shook his head. Then he set his jaw and heaved himself up, starting off towards the twin peaks without looking over his shoulder. Sora followed him at a distance. When they breached the village outskirts and trudged back along the dirt path by the burger joint, Soddy began whistling a tune under his breath. It sounded familiar. The notes tumbled around Sora's head until his feet made headway with the mountain path. As the school glided into view ahead, Sora asked what happened to replicas when they died. Soddy shrugged, murmuring that they might just disappear.

"What if they don't?" asked Sora. Soddy pursed his lips and shrugged, adding, "I guess they go the same way as everyone else, then."

Sora knitted his brows. The terrible fear that had been resting in the pit of his heart for the last four weeks bubbled to the surface of his thoughts.

"Did I... was I the one who got him caught?" he whispered. Soddy glanced back at him in befuddlement.

"Why on earth would you think that?" he asked. Sora shrugged.

"After the drag show..." he started. Soddy gave a firm shake of his head.

"It was the Organization, Sora," he insisted. "Someone within insinuated Ari was fake. A few hours before the mass arrest, Vexen admitted to everything in Eraqus' office."

"But it takes weeks to get here from the outer worlds," whispered Sora. "Shinra would have had to know at least a week in advance-"

"They did," responded Soddy. "Eraqus told them to come when Mickey left for his Mark of Mastery."

"Why... why would Eraqus do that?" whispered Sora. Soddy shrugged and said the man liked to make believe he was in control.

"Mickey, Yen Sid, Eraqus, and Xehanort are part of some club called the "key blade court." They made it once they founded the Academy to oversee executive decisions on threats to their home worlds. Everyone has to be present for decisions. If they're not, the court can't go into session."

"So Eraqus wanted to get rid of Ari and Organization Thirteen without Mickey and Yen Sid realizing?" gasped Sora. Soddy nodded.

"Between you and me," he murmured, "Eraqus' hold over this institution is slipping through his fingers. He was the one who let Xehanort invite Shinra and the Organization in in the first place. Now he wants to make certain he still has power over what they do."

"Does he have power over what they do?" murmured Sora. Soddy shrugged.

"Since he's headmaster, one would hope," he muttered. "He may be a terrible person, but he's powerful, and he is a warrior of light. If for some reason he was booted out, this world would be in trouble."

"Is he afraid Shinra will take over?" murmured Sora. Soddy snorted.

"Think about it," he explained. "A military dictatorship in charge of the education of the most powerful kids in the galaxy? Wouldn't you be afraid, too?"

"I guess I don't know enough about Shinra to know," muttered Sora, eyeing Soddy with suspicion. The man shook his head. A fire burned in his eyes.

"That's why they want to get rid of people like Riku," he hissed. "He knows exactly what they're up to. And he's determined to stop them."

"Too bad you took care of that," Sora snarled. Soddy froze at the foot of the stone bridge and asked what Sora meant. Sora rushed across first. When they were trudging up the winding mountain path to the forecourt, he said that Soddy was the only one who knew where Riku was.

"I told you I don't know, Sora," Soddy hissed. "The last time I saw him, he was fine."

"If he was fine, he'd be here instead of you," Sora muttered. Soddy stopped him with a glare and bared his teeth.

"Well maybe soon you'll get your wish, Sora," he whispered. "With Mickey and Aqua gone I don't see much point in sticking around."

Sora blinked at him in shock as he moved forward. The man had to be lying. His interest in Sora over the past semester was too great for him to just leave at the drop of a hat. Sora narrowed his glance and scurried to Soddy's side.

"Why did he give you his key blade?" Sora asked.

"He had to," Soddy responded. "He wasn't strong enough to protect his friends on his own. He needed someone's help."

"And in exchange?" goaded Sora. Soddy shrugged and responded, "I got a key blade."

As the forecourt neared, Sora's blood boiled. His fingers clenched into fists. He stood on his tip toes to challenge Soddy's immense height.

"You act nice and buy me ice cream," he insisted. "But I think you're a big liar. I think you have everyone wrapped around your thumb-"

"Oh, and what the hell are you going to do about it, Sora?" Soddy boomed, sending the birds lining the path scattering through the air. As Sora stumbled from his strides, he realized just how much taller Soddy was than him. He found himself stuttering in befuddlement. Soddy shot him with a cool, unreadable expression. When Sora could not respond, the man shook his head and pursed his lips.

"You've bitched this entire semester about how bad I am," he snarled. "You've told everyone you could find that I'm bad, yet I'm still standing here, buying you food and teaching you how to hold a key blade. If you laid a finger on me, I'd drag you through the mud," he added as he swiveled on his heel. Sora stared at him as he trudged ahead, shaking with fury the smaller Soddy got. In one shrill burst he roared, "if you hurt a single one of my friends, I'll kill you!"

Ahead of him, Soddy laughed and shouted, "I'd like to see you try."

Sora watched him as he walked. On impulse, he summoned his blade and shot a fireball straight for Soddy's back. Soddy thrashed it down in a bolt of darkness with hardly a muscle moved. In anger Sora sent bolt after bolt until his magic was spent. Soddy destroyed every single shot. Soon Sora was left panting and gusting in the middle of the path as the fiend disappeared within the school. When he could stand, he ran to the metal rings on the summit and practiced for what felt like ions, picturing each rotating, golden circle as a halo surrounding Soddy's evil little head, wishing that Eraqus would come to his senses and exterminate him as well.

~X~


	31. Hero Time

**A/N: Omg R12, your reviews make me want to cry they are so wonderfully detailed and thought provoking. On your concerns: Yen Sid is an interesting guy who I will share much more about throughout coming chapters (albeit in small bits and pieces.) There were a bunch of things going through his head, some of which we'll never know. In the situation he had little time to think ahead.** **Will that prove a major mistake in coming chapters? Oh, trust me, you will find out. And just to clarify, Naminé left with DiZ. As for Aqua and Terra, they graduated before the memory pods came into play and entered the school just before Org XIII and Shinra really started sinking their claws in, so they're not affiliated in the traditional sense. Even so, they did have to register with Shinra to complete their Mark of Mastery...**

 **As for your questions on Naminé's letter... you'll just have to find out (mwahaha!)**

 **Everyone else, please review/ follow/ fav! The support is so amazing and keeps me from getting sidetracked!**

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 ** _Chapter Thirty One_**

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Sora got back to the dorms so late the walls changed color from the shadow of the moon. When he felt his way through the darkened hall and peered towards Ventus' door, he furrowed his brows. A soft shaft of light shone beneath its rim, cut off at moments by the flickering shadows within. Without thinking, Sora rose his hand and knocked. The moment his fist hit wood, the door swung open and two big, blue eyes stared out at him. Sora lurched back in surprise. Ventus blinked in shock. Then his cheeks crinkled with a sad smile. Before Sora could greet him, the boy threw his arms around his shoulders and embraced him with his lips, stumbling with him into the wall on the other side of the corridor. Ventus' hand slipped underneath the rim of Sora's shirt and caressed his back, gliding across his dimples as his tongue met Sora's. He ignored Sora when the boy struggled against his grip, holding the brunet tighter in his arms. For a boy so young, Ventus was strong. When Sora whined against his lips, Ventus broke away and stared him in the eye, panting as the same sad expression glazed his visage again. When Sora could not respond, Ventus turned and moved to his desk, sitting down and pressing his palm to his chin as he rummaged through his pocket. Sora watched as he unsheathed his green way finder. The boy's sun kissed fingers grazed over its stained glass petals, peering without expression on the reflections within. Sora stepped to his side.

"I was afraid you'd never come back," he whispered. Ventus smoothed his fingerprints from the way finder's metal frame in silence. Sora shuffled his toes. When the silence became too piercing, he tiptoed to the door, peeked through the hall, and then shut it and plopped on the bed. Ventus watched him out of the corner of his eye as Sora hunched over and twiddled his thumbs. His legs swung back and forth, too short to meet the hardwood floor. Ventus set the way finder down and stared into the wall behind his desk.

"Where's your wooden key blade?" blurted Sora on sudden inspiration. Ventus looked up and pursed his lips. After thought, he murmured without expression, "I gave it away."

"You did?" asked Sora. Ventus nodded. A hint of a smile tugged at his cheek.

"There's this world where you never grow up," he explained. "These kids who can fly are constantly chasing pirates in circles. The pirates are always after their treasure."

"The kids have treasure?" Sora asked. Ventus nodded, leaning back and extending his hands to gesticulate.

"They keep it in a chest," Ventus murmured. "Everything they treasure the most. I decided to put in Terra's key blade."

"You let them keep it?" asked Sora. Ventus scoffed and shook his head.

"Every world I've been to has given me a piece of its heart," he whispered. "I wanted to return the favor."

"So..." Sora began with a cough. "It was a nice trip?"

Ventus nodded and chuckled, saying that it was the most wonderful and heartbreaking trip he had ever taken.

"And to think," he added, "Eraqus never wanted me setting foot outside The Land of Departure at all."

Sora squirmed. When Ventus rose to meet him, he curled his knees towards his chin. Ventus stared him down.

"I know the difference between pity and love, now, Sora," he said. "So you can stop pretending you care."

Sora's mouth shot down as he stuttered in befuddlement.

"B-but, I do care!" he insisted. When Ventus sat beside him and turned his face away, Sora scooted to his side and leaned against his shoulder.

"I do care," he repeated. Ventus scoffed. After silence, he acquiesced, "you have a big heart." Sora's chest warmed. When he scooted forward and asked if Ventus wanted a hug, Ventus shrugged.

"I want to fuck you," he drawled. "But I don't see much chance of that happening."

Sora stared as the blond sighed and leaned against the covers. Familiar silence reigned. Ventus' glance remained fixed against the wall. When Sora asked Ventus if anything else interesting happened on his trip, he shrugged and said he found out some interesting things about Eraqus.

"I met with my old teacher at the very end," he sighed. "Told me some stuff I was finally ready to hear."

"Like what?" asked Sora. Ventus returned that it was none of his business. Sora's shoulders sagged. He pressed his palms together until his hands shook.

"I'm going to confront him," Ventus murmured. His eyes flashed. Sora glanced into them in anxiety. When he opened his mouth again, Ventus stared into his eyes, searching for something that made Sora avert his gaze. Ventus' shadow remained still at his side. Then it shifted. The covers crinkled as he transferred his weight. Leaned forward. Sora felt warmth against his ear. Breath tickled his jaw. Ventus' skin pressed against his.

"What are you waiting for, Sora?" he whispered. Sora furrowed his brows. His gut clenched.

"I- I just don't like rushing things," he said.

"Liar," Ventus quipped. Sora stifled a whine, scowling instead.

"Just because I'm impulsive in everything else doesn't mean-"

Before he could finish, Ventus jumped from the bed and snatched his way finder from the desk. When Sora asked what he was doing, he said that he was going to talk to Eraqus. When he reached the door, he turned and gave Sora a cool grin.

"You have an hour to decide what happens between the two of us next. I'm tired of sucking dick. I want someone inside me. I want to be inside someone else. And if you can't give me that willingly, we should stop where we stand."

Sora felt dizzy with confusion. Guilt and fear tore through him like jagged knives as he stared into Ventus' eyes. For some reason, Ari's voice was coming into his head. For a moment he stuttered and whined. When Ventus had had enough, he turned on his heel and flew down the hall, smashing through the exit stairwell door before Sora could beg him to stop. After the boy watched his blond locks bob down the staircase, he shuffled through the hall, returned to the bed, and plopped down. Grief made his eyes water and his lip tremble. He pulsed his thumbs across his palms. Advising voices rolled around his skull like a herd of billiard balls.

 _"Aqua told me you and Ventus became close."_

 _"You can do whatever you want with him. No big deal."_

 _"I say just go for it. Have fun while you can."_

 _"Are you really so in demand that you have to decide?"_

 _"What's the point of liking people if you're waiting all the time?"_

 _"You've got to give yourself a prostate orgasm, Sora. You've got to tell me what it's like."_

Without helping it, Sora snorted. Was that really his strongest memory of Ari? Suddenly, an image of the boy smiling at him through a mouth full of oats at the breakfast table seared across his mind. Ari winked in his head. Sora remembered so clearly. At the time, he feared he had been staring at himself.

 _"If I had to make a medical diagnosis, I would concur that you simply have a problem with the word, "no.""_

Sora scoffed and rolled his eyes. Soddy. Why did the advice he valued the most come from the person he valued the least? How did the man know him so well?

Sora shook the thoughts from his head and concentrated instead on what it would feel like to really say "no" to Ventus. To stand his ground and not cave in. When he imagined the boy's crushed, bitter visage, heard in a whisper at the back of his head the words he might say, he lost his resolve. As he slumped onto the bed again, he bit his lip and remembered what Ventus had said about wanting to be inside someone else. Tiptoeing to the door and making sure it was locked, Sora scurried back to the bed and laid down on it. For a moment he went back and forth, biting his lip and tugging at his shirt hem. Then, he shut his eyes and clenched his teeth. With one hand he pulled the hem of his shirt over his nipples. With his other, he reached into the back of his pants and padded towards the soft skin behind his balls. After taking a deep breath, he pressed his finger up and swirled around. As a full, sharp feeling pulsed through his pelvis and made his penis trail up, he nudged his chin towards the wall behind and stretched out his legs. He forced himself to take deep breaths. His free hand twirled around his nipples, drifting from one to the other as little whimpers escaped his throat. When his penis pressed hard against his pants, he scowled and shimmied them down his legs, shivering at the feeling of cold air between his thighs. He gulped and continued swirling his fingers. As his penis began weeping frosty droplets, he pressed his finger against his back entrance. He could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead and under his arms towards the bed beneath him. His breath shallowed against his will. His heart hammered. Shutting his eyes tight and clenching his legs, he dug his finger up. An uncomfortable pulling sensation radiated through him as the tip of his forefinger pressed through the hole. He felt his nail as it curled through the ring of skin surrounding. Discomfort turned to pain. He peeked down to see how far he had gone in. Not even an inch. With a whine Sora sat back and pressed harder. When his heart beat so hard he felt dizzy, and memories of alcohol, sweet smoke, and burning yellow pools with black pupils kissed his skin, he gave up and curled in on himself. When he touched the palm that had grasped his pectorals to his face, he realized that he had been crying. Sniffing, he pulled up his pants and slumped to sitting, attempting to ignore the ache in his penis as it fell. When he looked up at Ventus' clock, he groaned. It had been twenty minutes. The best he could hope for now was extra time. He clasped his hands and begged fate to keep Ventus preoccupied. As he unlocked the bedroom door and filed towards the bathroom to wash his hands, anger and shame crept in.

What was wrong with him? Roxas was gone. Ari was gone. Everyone had left. Ventus was all he had, yet still, he could not hand himself over. He avoided the mirror as he washed his hands. When he dried them, he trudged towards the empty locker benches and sat down. Small drops of glue still graced his locker from the summertime. Comical reminders of when things had seemed more hopeful. As he picked at the pieces, he sighed. Kairi was the type of person who waited. Sora smiled as he thought of her. His hand grazed the charm still in his pocket. As he felt its thalassa shells, he chuckled. When he slipped his palm into his other pocket, it was empty. Sora's brows furrowed. Where were Naminé's and Hacky's charms? When he remembered the events of the day, he jumped up and screeched, "fuck!" at the top of his lungs.

They could be in the river. Beside the temple. In the middle of the park. Anywhere. And Naminé had told him to keep it safe.

"Fuck!" Sora repeated through a stifled sob. Collapsing against the ground and tearing his fingers through his hair, he bit his lip until he drew blood, ramming his foot against the locker nearest in bitter rage. When his runner met the metal, a thundering boom echoed through the room surrounding, shaking the sinks and causing dust to flutter from the ceiling. Sora blinked as he swiped his hands to the floor at his sides. In curiosity he rammed his foot against the locker again. Thunking metal responded, but nothing else. Just when he became too confused to think, another loud bang echoed through the pipes lining the locker room ceiling. Sora yelped in fright. When he glanced up and clutched his thalassa charm close to his heart, the noise disappeared. The room surrounding returned to silence. Sora relaxed. Then the bang returned, louder than the first or second. Sora's charm nearly fell between his legs. He scrambled to standing as he shoved it in his pocket. Then he hurried out the bathroom door and peeked into the hall. Silence. With pursed lips he hurried for the exit stairwell door and clambered down. As he walked, more bangs resounded in the pipes above and through the concrete beneath his feet. When he stepped onto the next floor down, he furrowed his brows. A shrill, incomprehensible voice tore through the hall lined with teachers' offices. When Sora realized the shouts were coming from the headmaster's suite, he furrowed his brows and inched forward. Clambering footsteps echoed at his back. When he turned to the staircase leading up from the great hall, Soddy's silver head bobbed towards him. When the pair met eyes, Soddy nodded and Sora gritted his teeth. The screaming voice intensified. Another challenged it in a booming rumble. As the argument continued, Soddy and Sora moved for the office door in hesitation.

"Did you hear those noises?" asked Soddy. Sora nodded. Soddy gritted his teeth and hurried for the door, giving it a loud rap with his knuckle. The screaming continued inside. Now it was just one voice. Soddy leaned towards the wooden frame and closed his eyes.

"What's happening?" Sora breathed. Soddy hissed for him to hush. His brows prickled up as he listened. Then his eyes widened.

"Help," he snarled, "I think I hear the world help."

Without thought, Sora scrambled to his side and turned the lock. It jammed. Sora cursed and rummaged through his pockets for bobby pins and a seam ripper. After a few moments of fiddling, Soddy swore, wrenched Sora out of the way, and summoned his key blade.

"Cast aero," he said. Before Sora could ask why, Soddy sent a dark fireball straight into the keyhole, sending the lock surrounding exploding in all directions. When he tore his key blade bit through the hole in the door and wrenched it open, he peeked in his head and reeled back. Ventus' wails pierced the air, primitive and desperate. Soddy stumbled towards the sound with arms outstretched, too dumb to speak. Without thinking, Sora slipped in behind. When he saw what lay within the room, his body went cold.

Ventus knelt at the center of the floor smeared in black. Tears ran in streams down his upturned face as he clutched below him. In his arms slumped Eraqus. His head rested loosely on his shoulder. His eyes stared forward like glass baubles. Dirty crimson droplets tugged at his lip. His robes hung in disarray. His legs crumpled towards each other, as if he had been standing and fell. Splashed across the center of his body and extending from his arms and legs to the ground, was a massive, pulsing ebony smear. The darkest, dripping part ran across his chest. As Sora watched it turn deeper and wetter, and noticed the growing pool drifting under the headmaster's back, he felt his knees grow weak. As they buckled towards each other and toppled him forward, Soddy glanced over his shoulder with wide eyes. With a gasp he caught Sora in his arms, stumbling beneath shaking limbs as if he were a boy in a body too big for him. Once the fiend hoisted Sora up and felt his warm cheek against his chest, something in him relaxed. He sucked in a deep breath and clenched Sora's shoulders. Then he told him he needed to leave.

"You're too young to see this," he whispered.

"I've already seen it," gulped Sora. Lost for words, Soddy let him go. Sora stumbled until he reached Eraqus' desk. By now the stench of iron was so strong it hung across the room's shoulders like a cloak. Ventus' face pulsed purple with tears. His breaths were so ragged and stuttering Sora feared he might faint. As the boy swayed to the side, Sora lunged forward and caught him. The moment Ventus made contact, he peered into Sora's eyes and begged him for help.

"Eraqus, h-I," he hiccuped. When Soddy attempted lowering Eraqus to the ground, Ventus screeched for him to stop.

"Have you cast stop and cure?" asked Soddy in a mild voice. Ventus nodded through tears and sniffed that they had not worked. Soddy bit his lip and cast the same spells again. For a moment life twinkled in Eraqus' eyes. Then, it drifted away, and the bleeding continued. His face grew pale save for tendrils of creeping black veins, his skin cold as ice. Soddy felt his pulse and gritted his teeth. He padded towards the wound and pointed his key blade down. Then, he stepped back and lowered it over the gash running across Eraqus' chest. The darkness clinging to it drifted towards the blade and encased it. When the darkness began crawling up Soddy's arm, he hissed and let his blade fall. The tendrils slithered into the floor and were gone. As the blade relinquished, he glanced towards Ventus in pity. The boy's lips formed a question, but his mouth would not utter it. When Soddy attempted picking Ventus from the ground, the boy wailed and clung to Eraqus' back, nuzzling his face into the man's gushing chest. Sora rubbed his back and hair in mechanical swipes.

"D-dad," Ventus begged, "d-dad, please, please, I'm sorry..."

Soddy rubbed his fingers across his forehead as the boy repeated himself. Then he glanced towards the blown open door.

"Ventus," he whispered. "How do you know a master is gone?"

For a moment Ventus continued sobbing. Then, he sniffed in a quavering voice, "their s-star goes out."

Soddy nodded and glanced into the sky outside the wide window. As he contemplated what to do next, something else tumbled from Ventus' mouth. It was another repeated phrase, garbled with emotion at first. As time went on, it became more clear. But Sora had to lean forward to hear it.

"T... w... te-r..." Ventus groaned as he tore his fingers through his hair.

"What?" Sora goaded.

"Terra," Ventus whimpered. "H- he..."

"Did Terra hurt Eraqus?" asked Sora. Ventus jolted and crumpled in on himself. Then he nodded. Sora blinked down in disbelief. Then he held the boy tighter, letting him sob in silence. At the window, Soddy shuffled his feet and grunted. When Sora looked up, the fiend cocked his head.

"Look out the window," he muttered.

Sora furrowed his brows as Soddy stepped to the side. From where he sat, he could see the shrubby peaks of the maze. In front of its entrance, a massive black oval burst. From its tendrils pulsed the leather heads of several tall figures.

"They maintain impeccable timing," Soddy murmured to himself.

As he spoke, the remaining members of Organization Thirteen disappeared beneath the windowsill. The black oval relinquished. Sora waited for the sound of their booming voices and footsteps to breach the office hall.

~X~

Eraqus' funeral was sparse. None but wielders of the key blade were invited to the ceremony. The minuscule party gathered in the forecourt at sundown. Present were Ventus, Sora, Yen Sid, and four beautifully cloaked figures Sora did not recognize. When darkness encased the valley completely, Yen Sid, Ventus, and the four figures summoned and extended their key blades into the air. Soft orbs of light burst from within, floating through the night like bubbles and hovering over their summoners' heads. When Yen Sid stared towards Sora in expectation, Sora pursed his lips and raised his key blade high. In his mind, he pictured the same orb of light the others had cast. To his surprise, a small, sputtering bauble popped from his blade bit, twinkling through the breeze above his nose. Sora's heart warmed as he looked upon it. It was hardly the size of a blitzball. But it shone bright. As a smile blazed against Sora's cheeks, Yen Sid closed his eyes and chuckled. When the baubles of light rose and drifted amongst each other over Eraqus' body, the tallest of the four figures whistled. Ventus nodded and slipped around the front of the military stretcher holding his father. With his eyes he signaled Sora to take the back. Once the stretcher was hoisted into the air, Sora and Ventus lugged it forward. Two of the four figures walked ahead, while two took the rear. Though Yen Sid trailed behind Sora's back, he could not feel the man's breath, nor hear the movement of his feet. The lights followed overhead as the smallest of the foretellers began singing. As she walked, her companion swished his key blade at his side so that soft, golden flowers twinkled from its edge. They changed color as they cascaded through the air: brilliant reds, oranges, olives, and umbers. When they touched Sora's skin, they melted and disappeared.

The steeper the decline of the mountain, the more difficult it became to carry the body. Sora could hear Ventus' panting breaths. He attempted lowering the stretcher closer to the ground to reduce the weight pressing the front. Finally, they reached the stone bridge and stopped. The four figures rose their key blades again and chanted together. Once the chant finished, and the sound of rushing water rumbled through the darkness beneath the white stone's center, the party moved across and continued down the path towards the burger joint. When they passed the old stone temple, they stopped and veered towards it. Once before its looming ancient doors, they used their key blades to unlock it. A rumble sounded from within its depths. Then, together, they cast a spell that opened the doors. Once the four crept inside and the chamber lighted, Sora and Ventus pulled in the stretcher. A long ceremony commenced. Sora clutched the stretcher poles so tight his fingers went numb. His eyes drooped from exhaustion. When his head tipped forward, a hiss behind him snapped him to attention. Ahead, Ventus remained ramrod straight. Sora wondered how he managed it.

When the ceremony within the temple ended, the party headed up a set of stairs lining the inner chamber's back. Soon they breached the temple's roof. As cool night air caressed his arms again, Sora assisted Ventus in setting the stretcher on an alter at the temple roof's center. When Ventus lit the incense on the alter's left, Sora lit the alter's right. They stepped back and stood side by side. The four figures stepped forward and sang together. When they stopped, Yen Sid ascended in their place.

"We gather here tonight to celebrate the heart of a brilliant, troubled man," he intoned. "A master and father to many, a servant to none but light. A man whose resolution was sharp and hot."

As he spoke, Sora felt something soft and warm graze his palm. Ventus' hand melted against his own. Sora cupped it tight. He could feel the pulsing of Ventus' blood beneath his skin.

"Eraqus, remain with us in spirit. Let your star shine within the hearts of those who love you. Watch over them. Keep them from harm's way. Forgive us, that we could not serve you better."

When his speech ended, Yen Sid raised his key blade. The four figures raised theirs as well. Ventus' hand slipped from Sora's as he put up his own. Sora followed. When all of the key blades grazed the sky, Eraqus' body began to glow. Warm, golden light encased him, until his body resembled a ball of fire. Then, as soon as he had glowed, he was gone, disappeared completely. The altar and stretcher laid empty. One by one, the spheres of light illuminating the party's scalps snuffed out. The wind stopped. The air cooled. Silence reigned again.

All went through the temple's inner chamber in complete darkness. When they breached air once more, the four figures shut the door without touching it and turned to whisper to each other. Yen Sid stood on his own, admiring the night sky from a mossy plot of grass near the trees lining the river back at the other side of the path. When Sora trudged to his side and reached out to touch the man's arm, he gasped. His palm went straight through the man's stomach, in his back and out his belly button. When Yen Sid turned to face him, Sora jumped back and gasped an apology. The old master extended his hand in easy forgiveness. As he straightened, something spirited his glance towards the right end of the forest. When Sora asked what was wrong, the old man bowed.

"My apologies," he rumbled. "I am a mere projection, as are the four figures lining the door to the temple. My corpus stands in my home world, where I await news of Aqua and King Mickey."

As Yen Sid spoke, a massive, sizzling black orb burst through the sky at the clearing's back. A twinkling metal figure slipped through. The black orb disappeared. Yen Sid cursed under his breath. Sora stared at the place where the black hole had been without expression. Ventus had gone.

"I fear I leave you in the dragon's lair, Sora," Yen Sid murmured. "But as long as Mickey, Aqua, and her friends are flown, you should not be touched. In the meantime, I let the Land of Departure fall to darkness. Within the next month I should like to meet you in my own territory. Do not flee till the Organization commands it. Until then, my wishes fall upon tracks of twilight."

With that, the apparition was gone, and Sora stood alone. Under the light of the moon, he spotted the silhouettes of the Organization looming near the stone bridge. Were they waiting for him? Grimly, he slunk into the trees at the dirt path's side, trudging low until the grass squelched beneath his feet, and the smell of salt water clung to his nostrils. Whenever pitcher plants and creeping vines snapped or brushed against his arms, he stifled a gasp. Moment upon moment he thought he heard low, gravelly voices and high cackling laughter. He hoped it was in his head. The further he tread the faster he walked. Soon the smell of burger fat and alcohol pierced his nose. The sound of laughter and music resounded. Sora ducked as he passed the burger joint's side. Soon he was in the woods again, crunching and squelching forward until strong city lights glowed ahead. Out from the trees and into the fray he pierced, grinning and turning at the winter festival pulsing around him. Bright, fire lit lanterns stabbed the sky. Native music sailed through the twinkling holes. Children with ice cream and cotton candy slipped around Sora's legs, screaming and chasing one another as they juggled sweets and gifts under their arms. Dancers lined the streets and park. Singing and applause thundered inside the Teatro. Sora passed Command Board Crêpes and stared through the empty reflections in its windows. On he walked past the concert hall, past the ancient apartments, past all joyous life until the city crumbled around him and the stench of mangrove, rubber, and smoke burned on the breeze. There stood the mirage of neon light against the backdrop of grey and blues. A clash of two different worlds, crushed in the darkness of the encroaching forest. The warehouse on Avenida slumbered within its barbed wire fence. This time, the trashcans once filled with fire stood empty. No music or pulsing blue lights rumbled through the windows. The front double doors sagged on their hinges. The foreclosure sign guarding the barbed wire entrance hung askew, slashed with a black, spray painted x. Mustering up every bit of courage he possessed, Sora shoved inside.

He shivered as he walked across the gravel leading to the warehouse entrance. Here was where Sice had challenged Riku. Glints of metal caught Sora's eye. When he remembered that Sice's locket had been found and returned to her pocket, he relaxed and hurried on. The shipment box Vanitas stood upon to watch Sice shout dug like a knife in the periphery of his right eye. He ignored it as he breached the warehouse entrance. Once he stepped inside, he clutched his heart.

The furniture was the same. The sound of rats and scuttling mice and owls filled the pipes overhead. Sora gulped. Beer bottles, cans, and old sodden cigarettes lined the floor like bodies from a great battle, forlorn, unburied, and forgotten. Sora swept past them, past the table he had hid beneath, past the couch he had smoked on, until his eyes fell on an exit door. When his hand pressed against it he gulped. Then, steeling himself, he wrenched the door open and stepped outside. To his left hung a ladder that seemed to extend to the building's roof. To his right, the building curved around a line of metal shipment boxes with black diamonds encasing foreign characters indented at their centers. Sora winced as he glanced towards them. Then, wiping his eyes, he trudged on.

The memories replayed in his mind as he trailed his hands along the iron clamps. He half expected to see his apple core waiting for him. But it was gone, pressed into the ground. All that remained were water bottles. As Sora stared at them, he wondered which one he had drank from last year. The stretch of wall Vanitas pressed him against stood as it always had. With a deep breath, Sora trudged over and leaned his back against it. He whimpered when he shut his eyes, gasping when he thought he felt Vanitas' breath on his shoulder. But no one was there. He looked upon the ground, wondering if the gravel had been displaced since Vanitas had pushed him against it. Then, groaning, he padded forward, turned, and lied against it.

The moon far above his head hung half obscured by the warehouse's jagged roof. The gravel beneath him pricked into his arms and legs. Gulping, he unbuttoned the dress shirt and pants Ventus had given him and slipped them down, sniffing as the muggy air settled along his bare chest and thighs. When he closed his eyes, he saw Vanitas' face. He gritted his teeth and punched the air, a voice in his head whispering that if Vanitas were really there, the punch would be useless.

 _You're the worst key blade wielder at the school. You couldn't even save Ari. How on earth could you refuse Vanitas?_

"Shut up," Sora whispered, sucking in a jagged breath. "Shut up, shut up, shut up..."

When he could stand it no longer, he barreled up, huddled Ventus' clothes back over him, and trudged towards the ladder. Then, one rung at a time, he climbed until the building's roof stretched before him. Once he slipped his legs up and crawled over the roof's edge, he hoisted himself to standing and peered over the horizon.

Now was the deepest dusk. Sora stretched out his hands and breathed in the scent of the city. Would this part change at all with Eraqus gone? Or would it continue the way it had before, lively and undaunted by the movings of the key blade masters within it? Sora grinned as he remembered the children running around his legs. The ones with cotton candy and ice cream. As his stomach rumbled in remorse, he couldn't help but wish he had gotten some for himself.

Suddenly, something shuffled behind him. Sora whipped around with key blade drawn. His breath left him. A gasp caught in his throat. Standing twenty feet behind him, was a figure cloaked in black. Its hand held a blade in the shape of a dragon's leathery wing. A teal eye glowed from its hilt.

"Soddy?" Sora breathed. His breath clenched in his chest. Had the man followed him to the roof to finish him off? Had he waited with patience to catch Sora alone? The words of his old threat echoed in Sora's ears. As ideas of escape tumbled through his head, he called for Soddy to let down his hood. For a moment the man hesitated. Then, he relinquished his blade and slipped the black material from over his orange eyes. Sure enough, it was him. Sora's shoulders relaxed against his will. Still, he held his blade tight.

"Why did you follow me up here?" he demanded. Ahead of him, Soddy remained frozen.

"I should ask you the same question," he intoned. "What do you want?"

"If you want to kill me, pick a better time," Sora barked. "I've just been to a funeral."

"Eraqus?" asked Soddy. A twinge of sadness colored his voice. Sora nodded, furrowing his brows. To his irritation, he found himself asking why Soddy had been absent. Soddy shrugged and murmured that only wielders of light could attend.

"Was Mickey there?" he asked. Sora shook his head. Soddy grunted and shrugged.

"Well," he sighed. "Perhaps it was better I did not go at all. I'm surprised the Organization didn't escort you home."

"They tried," Sora said. "They were waiting at the stone bridge."

Soddy snorted and nodded, muttering that they had been looking for him all day. Then, on strange inspiration, he turned his back to Sora and sauntered to the roof edge to sit down. Once his legs dangled into the abyss below, he sighed and clasped his hands together. Sora stared at him in befuddlement. Then, scowling, he let his key blade disappear, clenched his fists, and trudged to the man's side, plopping down by his shoulder in a huff. Soddy glanced upon his hunched form in stupor. As his gaze returned to the horizon, a smile tugged at his dark face. For a moment the pair sat in silence. Sora asked again why Soddy had come. Soddy shrugged and said that this was a place Riku had been.

"I was... curious," he murmured.

 _"Wanted to see if he could find anything,"_ Sora thought to himself. When Soddy asked why he had come, Sora shrugged and said that bad things had happened here.

"I thought I needed to face them all of a sudden," he murmured, glancing at his entwined hands. After thought, Soddy murmured that Sora was brave. Sora scowled, mumbling that he was not brave at all.

"I begged fate not to make me have to talk to Ventus earlier this week," he sighed. "Guess I got my wish."

"Eraqus' death was not your fault, Sora," Soddy intoned like a whip. "Just like it wasn't Ventus' fault for wishing him gone. Leave the guilt for the killer."

"Why did Terra do it?" Sora whispered. Soddy shrugged, murmuring that darkness changed the best of people. "From what I gather, Ventus told Eraqus something he didn't want to hear," he explained. "Eraqus tried to hurt him. Terra went too far to protect him." Sora blinked in surprise, wondering how it could be possible. When he asked Soddy how he knew, Soddy said that Ventus had been bleeding when he took him to the infirmary. Sora remembered the feint line of purple drifting across his jaw and neck as he carried Eraqus' stretcher to the temple.

"You think the deep voice screaming at Ventus was Eraqus?" Sora asked. Soddy nodded. Together they stared over the teal, glowing horizon. A salty breeze drifted past Sora's cheeks. For some reason, visions of Roxas eating sea salt ice cream, and Kairi and Riku clasping his hands as they lied on the island outside Luca returned to his head. Sadness dwelt heavy in his heart.

"Why is this universe such a horrible place?" he asked. Soddy shrugged, offering that humans ran it.

"But some humans are good," Sora insisted. Soddy murmured that the bad ones made up for them. Suddenly, Sora stood and reached his arms on either side of him like he did after the drag show, taking the moon in his arms and clutching its spirit towards his chest.

"I'm going to make this universe a place everyone can live in," he insisted. Soddy chuckled.

"If anyone can do it, it's you, Sora," he murmured. Sora scoffed and shook his head.

"You don't mean that," he whispered. "You said I couldn't even hold a key blade."

"Yes you can," Soddy responded. When Sora glared at him, he winked and chirped, "I taught you how to, remember?"

Sora scoffed as Soddy laughed. He tapped the toes of his dress shoes together as the fiend sighed.

"I always remember the kid who spilled elmer's glue on my carpet more times than I could count," Soddy chuckled. "His odds of winning a race were 1:100, and his odds of winning a fight were even worse. But when he did win, he'd walk around as though he'd just moved a mountain. And it would be true," he murmured. "Something would happen to his opponent, like some kind of spiritual awakening, or as much spiritual awakening possible between twelve and thirteen year olds. And I would think, "wow. This kid is so fucking special, and nobody notices it but me. He's so fucking special and he doesn't have to do jack shit for it, and here I am busting my ass just to prove I'm stronger than him, even though nobody thinks he's stronger than me but myself." But he did work hard. I didn't realize that for a long time. He was just so bright he couldn't see two steps ahead of him. He needed a guide."

For a moment Soddy beamed and shut his eyes. Sora stared at him in shock. When the fiend snapped his eyes open, he stuttered, "R-Riku told me that before I left. T-told me that, about you..."

"You have a pretty great memory," Sora intoned. "You got his cadence and everything."

"It was a speech I'll never forget," Soddy rushed. "The point is that he- he believes in you with all his heart. He just wishes you would stop letting other people dictate who you are. He wishes you would be as forward with your feelings to others as you are to me."

"Wait, what?" gasped Sora, jumping and staring down Soddy's nose in ecstasy. "You- you've been talking to him?!"

Soddy opened and closed his mouth. Then, narrowing his eyes, he said that he had. Sora gasped and tumbled back to his side, clutching his arm and demanding to know where Riku was. Before he could say another word, Soddy hissed for him to keep quiet.

"You'll see him soon enough," he muttered with ill ease. "Just do whatever Yen Sid says. Don't trust anyone else."

"Right," Sora responded. "But why can't you tell me where he is?"

"Naminé knows," Soddy responded. "So does Mickey."

"Mickey?!" Sora stifled. His hands shook so bad his whole body vibrated after them.

"Just watch your step," Soddy finished. "I won't be sticking around to watch your back."

"Should be an easy task with you gone," Sora shot back. Soddy snorted and shook his head. Then he heaved himself to his feet and sauntered to the building roof's other side. Sora watched him over his shoulder. When Soddy stopped and turned, he asked Sora if the Organization was watching the lanes between. Sora shrugged.

"Well," Soddy sighed. "Only one way to find out."

With his gloved right hand he summoned a massive pillar of darkness, identical to the ones the organization summoned when they returned through the maze entrance to the school. As he stepped towards it, Sora asked who he thought the new academy headmaster would be. Soddy's shoulders sagged.

"Do you really need to ask?" he intoned. Sora pursed his lips. Soddy called goodbye. Sora returned the favor. Then, the dark man was gone, and Sora sat alone on the warehouse roof till the sun rose from the belly of the sky. As he waited for its twinkling golden form to span the horizon, he felt inside his pockets for his lucky charms, realizing again that he only had Kairi's. He resolved to look for Naminé's and Hacky's on the way home. He would need as much goodwill as he could get in the coming weeks. Soddy was right. It was time to watch his step.

It was time to be a hero.

~X~

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 **A/N: GET READY FOR SECOND SEMESTER! AAHH! I'M SO EXCITED! FOLLOW, FAV, AND REVIEW, PLEASE!**


	32. Academy Update Letter

~X~

 ** _Chapter Thirty Two_**

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 _Dear remaining, _ _ ,_

 _We are delighted to inform you of the changing nature of our newly christened_ Land of Departure Training Academy _._ _Though the Senior High at the Land of Departure formerly housed only key blade wielders, its student body has now grown to encompass weapon summoners of all ages and persuasions, and we have dedicated ourselves to reflecting that in its every facet, including its name! This intergalactically acclaimed program houses, feeds, and mentors gifted, high school age weapon summoners completely free of charge, with opportunities rife for further employment and internship!_

 _We would like to alert you to several exciting new changes and opportunities granted to our school through our strengthening partnership with_ _Shinra Electric Power Company and independent research union Organization Thirteen. Students will participate in the design and execution of never before seen technology, study under first rate professors in all fields of science, art, and technology, and embark on intra-universal internships for the most powerful company in our galaxy. Because of the ascendence of a promising new headmaster, a new campus location has been added! New worlds and opportunities await the tips of your fingers. Attached is a full copy of the changes under our new and improved, Organization XIII Affiliated Student Code of Conduct._

 _Thank you and best of luck,_

 **Headmaster, Organization No. I, Xemnas**

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~X~

 _ **End Part 2**_

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	33. New Rules

**A/N: OH MY GOSH THANK YOU EVERYONE! Your support is amazing. Yes, R12, Roxas in a fascinating creature! When I started this whole thing, I had one scene clear in my head, I just haven't found the right place to put it yet. I actually gave up on it for a little while thinking the story didn't support it... but it does! And hopefully it will be as earth shattering as I envisioned it. Plus R12, your reviews give me great ideas and get me to notice details I have brushed over or forgotten!**

 **Crazy will, I'm taking the comment about knowing a Ventus in real life as a compliment! I love writing realistic, complex characters (even if they are assholes).** **I also LOVE what you said about "he needs someone that's not one of the brothers," just because I was struck by how much Ventus and Roxas mirror Reno and Axel and how weirdly Sora is drawn to all of them! How did Ventus and Roxas become the way they are? As for Sora's first... I honestly have no clue who it will be. I've had ideas, but they've all been shot down by the needs of the story... the answer will come to me when it comes, I suppose.**

 **Jackieredfield! It's been so long! I'm so glad to hear from you!**

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~X~

 ** _Part 3_**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Thirty Three_**

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Sora slumped against the side of his bed, staring across the Land of Departure's peaks to the dawn waking across the horizon. The ocean shimmered beneath, barely visible over dense February fog. As the rising sun illuminated the dew clinging in globules along the window, he traced a smiley face through the condensation on his side and waved hello. Soon after, the alarm on Argento's watch rang, signaling for him to get ready for class. Like a robot he slid from his bed and turned it off. Then he trudged to his desk and glanced over his schedule. LGBTQ on Monday and Thursday, as usual. Technically, the student body could only take a club twice. But the new administration had been surprisingly lenient with his curriculum. He had somehow gotten LGBTQ to count for a social studies and speech credit simultaneously. Luxord had helped him test out of two levels of math, and Nimo had been tasked with testing him out of two levels of foreign language for Al Bhed. Surprisingly, the experience had not been as torturous as he expected. There was no triumph in Nimo's eyes as they skimmed over textbooks and no smugness in his voice whenever he caught Sora saying or writing an expression wrong. He never brought up Ari. Despite being morally foul, he had class. Sora still had to take two more credits in a different language, but he would leave that road block for later. The academy had subjected all juniors and seniors to a mandatory January term "Interworld Health Seminar" that was supposed to prepare them for traveling in the outer worlds safely. So his health credit was out of the way, too.

As things stood, he was enrolled in LGBTQ, Yoga, Journalism, Interworld Languages, and Interworld Technology Studies, which somehow counted for a Math and science credit at once. Sora was not complaining. Anything that kept him from the jaws of pre calculus was a godsend. Luxord had fried his brain enough studying through what was supposed to be his "winter break." Again, Sora was not complaining. Anything to keep him from thinking about what had happened with Ventus, Roxas, Ari, and Soddy was golden as well. The room that had once occupied two of his closest friends was now empty save for himself. Despite the decrease in student body following semiannual cuts, his room assignment remained the same. Perhaps the Organization was keeping him in solitary confinement to drive him crazy. He had not gotten a good night's sleep in what felt like months.

As he collected his toiletries and towel, the sound of laughter and chatter filled the hall outside. Sora gulped as he pricked his ears towards it. Tidus was probably out there, heart beating with excitement for his second semester of "hero academy." After several moments of listening, Sora mustered up the courage to open his bedroom door. When he did, he stifled a gasp.

Swarms of boys ran back and forth through the hall, horse playing and shouting in greeting. Old friends chattered and guffawed with excitement. Spitballs and crumpled notes lined the floor and walls. Sora forced his way with gritted teeth past barely toweled bodies and swinging limbs until he burst through the bathroom door. When he blinked around, his stomach dropped. The entire chamber was swarming. Every sink was taken, every inch of the locker room bench occupied, and every shower tile stepped upon by sodden feet. He stifled a groan and maneuvered to his familiar locker. Once he got there, he slipped all clothes and toiletries inside save for soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Then he turned and searched for a break in the showering crowd. When he saw a familiar head of messy blond hair, his heart lifted. With a skip in his step, he ducked towards Tidus and shouted hello when he got close enough. The boy snapped to attention and turned in response, meeting eyes with Sora and breaking into a grin.

"Sora!" he shrieked, throwing his arms out for a hug. Sora dashed towards him without thinking. When both realized that they were still naked, they leapt apart and mumbled in apology. Laughter and high pitched taunts rumbled around them as they showered side by side. Once they returned to their lockers and Sora asked how Tidus' break had been, Tidus relaxed with a sigh.

"Oh, Sora," he began in a dreamy whisper. When Sora raised a questioning brow, Tidus giggled and covered his blushing face with his hands.

"I went to Yuna's house!" he worded. Sora feigned excited surprise, hoping to mask the fact that his heart was somewhere else. Tidus did not seem to notice. His clothes seemed to slip over his body of their own accord, barely aided by his floating hands. When he finished brushing his hair, he sighed and leaned against his locker's side.

"She showed me all of her platinum records, and she let me into the recording studio, and she gave me a shot..."

"She injected you?" Sora snapped with suspicion. Organization Thirteen had not gotten hold of Yuna, too, had they? Tidus snorted in a knowing fashion, rolling his eyes as he sighed, "a shot of _alcohol,_ Sora. Teqita."

Sora furrowed his brows, trying to figure out what in gods' names "Teqita" was. When he failed to crack the code, he returned to Tidus' story with a plastic smile.

"She asked how old I was and I said I was practically fifteen-"

"Tidus, your birthday is in July-"

"- So then she shrugged and said, "fair enough," and gave me a shot! And then I drank it and we sat on her couch listening to her music. _Alone._ "

Sora stifled the urge to knock himself out against the locker room wall. Instead he punctuated Tidus' remarks with gentle nods. Just when he thought the torture was over, though, Tidus leaned to his ear to lay out the big kahuna.

"Then..." he began. Sora stared forward and said, "mhm" in a way he hoped sounded interested.

"Then," Tidus continued, "we _kissed._ "

Sora jolted up in surprise, glancing towards Tidus with raised brows. The boy looked ready to rocket through the ceiling. His face shone a pulsing, bright pink. When Sora mumbled, "wow," Tidus giggled and scooted closer.

"I think I really have a chance, now," he sighed. "We're practically together. I mean, people don't just kiss other people for the heck of it, right? They have to _care_ about each other."

Sora's heart plummeted through his ribs. He mumbled that that was usually the way it worked. Tidus giggled and jumped up, asking Sora what kind of action he had gotten over winter break. Sora snapped his gaze up and furrowed his brows. When he blubbered for Tidus to repeat the question, Tidus asked if anything interesting had happened to him. Sora glanced into the distance with an open mouth.

 _"Watched someone die,"_ a voice echoed in his head. _"Watched another be taken to his death. Broke the hearts of my closest friends."_

Sora shook the memories off and mumbled that he had studied for tests. Tidus snorted and said that sounded like it sucked. Sora shrugged and chuckled that it did. Then he hoisted himself up and moved to a free sink to brush his teeth. Once he was finished, he said goodbye to Tidus and filtered back to his room. Once he had gathered his books and pencil case together, he checked Argento's stop watch, slipped it around his wrist, and filed out for the exit stairwell to the grand hall, where the beginning-of-semester meeting was to take place. As he descended the criss crossing passage, he half expected an exit door to slam open and for Soddy to clatter down. But the staircase was silent and empty save for himself. When he broke through the exit door to one of the most familiar floors in the school, the smell of breakfast fare assailed his nostrils. He closed his eyes as his stomach grumbled. Then, grinning, he sauntered through the open double doors and glanced around.

Though the familiar rows of chairs had been set out before the throne of three at the hall's head, the room's rear was covered in a buffet of foods from all over the galaxy. Sora gasped as he dashed towards it, eyeing all the choices with excitement. With his book strap over his shoulder and his hands free, he piled himself up with eggs, sweets, breads, meats, and fruit and vegetable dishes of all kinds. When he looked into the air for familiar golden orbs, his shoulders fell. They were gone, replaced by spheres of lightning with red, laser like lettering counting down the time till the morning meeting. Organization Thirteen meandered around the head of the room with breakfast in hand. Sora's teeth ground as he watched. When his eyes met Axel, standing shrouded beneath the shadow of the rose window on his own, he lingered. As if sensing being watched, the man's gaze drifted towards him. Sora snapped around and searched for others he knew.

No Riku. No Ari. No Naminé. No Roxas. No Ventus. No Cloud or Tifa. But also no Vanitas. Sora breathed out in relief and looked forward, gasping in delight when a familiar head of magenta hair cocked back as its owner laughed with a host of princesses of heart.

Kairi. Her hair had grown longer since Sora saw her last. It hung in messy strands at her shoulders. She sported a new pink dress, a purse that hung around her waist, and the same converse sneakers she had gotten last year. Her parents must have given her a makeover for Christmas. She gesticulated wildly to Belle and Aurora as if practicing with an imaginary sword. As she spoke, the girls gasped and clapped with delight. Sora yearned to talk to her, but something in him twisted when he stepped towards her. When her head raised and turned towards him, he gasped and swiveled around in embarrassment. When a familiar lurch bobbed through his chest, he groaned.

 _"First day back and I already have a crush..."_ his mind echoed flatly. With a scowl he trudged further to the back of the room and peeped around some more. He could not see Neku, but Shiki and Beat were walking around, so he could not have been too far away. As Sora's brows creased with worry, a familiar yipping sound echoed behind him. Soon, a heaping weight sprung over his shoulders and wrapped its arms around his neck. As he lurched back and struggled to keep his food from going airborne, laughter rose at his ear. When he was steady and ready to look behind him, he met a pair of deep purple eyes.

"Yuffie!" Sora barked. Yuffie pecked him on the cheek and slipped from his shoulders to the wood floor with a giggle. Then she smacked him on the back.

"Too freakin' long, buddy, it's been too freakin' long," she sighed. Behind her walked Aerith and, to Sora's surprise, Leon. When Yuffie spotted them, she screeched in delight and threw her arms out.

"Squallawalla!" she roared as Leon tried saying hello. He evaded her with a bark but stopped her from tumbling headlong into Aerith. When all were settled, they turned to Sora and asked how his break had been. Sora winced. He was just beginning to realize how many times he would have to answer this question before the day was out. Before he could lie, Yuffie glanced about in confusion and asked where Riku and Roxas were. Sora had to keep himself from gasping. When Yuffie settled her glance on him again, it was one of deep perplexion.

"Come to think of it," she murmured, "either you're all late or you key blade wielders are dropping like flies!"

"I haven't seen Cloud or Tifa either," chanced Leon. Aerith averted her gaze and pursed her lips. Sora tried not to stare. He mumbled that at least he had showed up. Just as someone else raised their voice, the clocks in the sizzling electric bubbles overhead counted down to zero. A drilling hum echoed through the air. Every student and professor present glanced upon the three thrones lining the rose window. In the left most chair sat Reno. In the right most chair sat Xigbar. And at the center sat Xemnas. Two long rows of chairs were set on either side of him for the rest of the faculty. The students scrambled to find their assigned seats. On instinct Sora glanced around for Vanitas. To his surprise, the boy was nowhere to be found. Once he was seated with breakfast plate in hand, he redirected his attention to the front of the room, where Xemnas stood and raised his arms.

"Welcome," he began in his deep, rumbling voice. "To another year at the Land of Departure Training Academy." Sora half expected Ari to shout out some smart remark at any moment. But of course, there was silence.

"I would first like to address the elephant in the room," Xemnas continued. "I am sure our change in leadership has perplexed a great deal of you."

There was a short moment of silence as Xemnas looked from one student to the next. When he settled on Sora, his eyes flashed. Then, his glance sharpened and moved on. Sora's hands clenched in his lap. Xemnas cleared his throat and continued.

"In this universe we call home, powers of evil are ever present, sometimes in the most unlikely of places. I will not incriminate anyone by name, but while most of you were holidaying with friends and family in your home worlds, our dear Eraqus was gravely injured by a former student, leaving him unfit to continue his stint as headmaster of this academy."

Gasps wrung through the audience. The sides of Xemnas' mouth twitched as he spoke on.

"From the moment this incident occurred to this very minute, your faculty has been working tirelessly to apprehend the assailant and discover his motives. How could a former apprentice of the key blade strike down his master so readily? Why have countless students of the key blade and a young master gone missing? Most of our findings must remain confidential. But I can tell you this. We have erased "key blade" from the name of this academy purposefully. We have removed the dependency on the element of light from our curriculum purposefully. One cannot succumb to darkness if one knows its true nature. And to know its true nature, one must study it. One must accept differences in others. One must not coddle or fling aside under archaic expectations or denominations of "talent." Expect to study team building and self reliance in a new way this semester. Expect to be treated with hefty responsibility. For the role of 'hero' in the course our universe must take comes with a price. What you must not expect this year, is a free pass for wielding a summon weapon."

Applause rose from the audience like wildfire. As Xemnas scrolled through the student body anew, Sora felt his gaze sharpen further when it hit him. It made the skin of his face twinge red. He wondered if others were staring at him as well.

"Regardless of 'strength of heart,'" Xemnas continued with a sarcastic snort, "or whatever you believe you can do with it, you will be expected to perform on a scale appropriate to the weaponry you possess. You will be expected to follow directions, grow at a constant rate, and work with others. If you fail in any of these respects, you will be sent home."

Sweat trickled from the pits of Sora's arms as he sat rapt with attention. Would this be the semester the faculty finally realized his worthlessness and kicked him out? Then again, maybe getting kicked out would not be such a bad thing. But Yen Sid had told him to stay as long as he could. And if he wanted to see Riku again...

"With that said, we must all be willing to make sacrifices for the continuation of this priceless establishment. Let us work as colleagues in the building of a keener future for our species."

Applause barreled through the air again. Once Xemnas sat down, Xigbar stood in his place. Reno and the rest of the Shinra suits lumbered to the back of the room where the foldout tables containing breakfast food had once been as the end of meeting was announced.

"Please go to the appropriate table at the back of the hall to pick up your updated schedule for the semester," Xigbar added. With that, the student body stood and clambered from their chairs. Sora was one of the last to stand. He picked through the remainder of his donuts and eggs before lumbering to the table for people with last names N- P. When he received his schedule and glanced down its familiar contents, his brows furrowed. Lining the bottom of the page was a note stating, _"remain in the grand hall following semester meeting."_

Glancing up to see if anyone else showed signs of receiving the strange note, Sora folded the paper in his lap and waited. Who he assumed were the first years disappeared through the front double doors with Demyx and Luxord. The seniors followed Saïx and Xaldin out after. Once the juniors were left within the grand hall with Xemnas and Reno, Xemnas clapped his hands and commanded all to reseat themselves. Once the order was carried out and silence ensued, he beamed.

"About now," he rumbled, "your underclassmen are signing wavers in preparation for their _vision quests."_ The chuckles punctuating Xemnas' acidic remarks made Sora's stomach churn.

"Will they all come out safely this time?" a voice rang out from behind him.

The silence engulfing the room might as well have been a gasp. Every head turned to look for the offending interrupter. When Sora turned in search as well, he was greeted with Kairi's icy blue glance, pointed straight ahead of him onto Xemnas' golden irises. As the man looked upon her, his smile faded, replaced by a pointed glance and a hint of a smirk.

"There are only two key blade wielders in the freshman class this year," he murmured. "Both wielders of light. Unless one succumbs to darkness, casualties should be slim."

Kairi was stopped from standing up in her chair by Belle and Aurora. As she sat with fists shaking, Sora stared at her trembling lip without expression, unable to say a word. The soothing voices of her princess of heart friends rang in his ears like needles.

"We wish to hide nothing from you," Xemnas continued. "Our desire to preserve the freshman class's sanity has caused us to shield them from the truth. But following the new path we want this academy to take, we have decided to extend the investigative activities normally pursued by the Organization alone, to you. Most of you have shown yourselves capable of the responsibility."

"You will all be given different tasks this semester. Some of you will be asked to work in teams, others alone. All of you will be granted a mentor as you were last semester who you will report to whenever possible. All of you will be given tasks of retrieval. Failure to retrieve will result in academic probation and possible expulsion. Swiftness of retrieval will be rewarded."

"What will we be retrieving?" rang Noel's voice. Xemnas grinned as he responded, "people."

The room echoed silent befuddlement. When Xemnas asked Xigbar to pass out the appropriate paperwork, the one eyed man nodded and thumbed through a stack at his side, passing out individual manila envelopes from one side of the room to the other. When Sora received and opened his own, a list of names fell into his lap. When he read through the list, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

 _Group A: Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, Zack Fair, Sephiroth_

 _Group B: Vanitas Nimoy, Xehanort Nimoy I_

 _Group C: Di Z, Naminé Winter_

 _Group D: Aqua Holland, Terra Dohring, Ventus Eraqus, King Mickey I_

 _Group E: Roxas Eraqus, Riku Miyano, Ansem Seeker of Darkness_

 _Group F: Announced_

Sora fumbled feverishly through every paper he possessed to see what group he was in. When a whisper over his shoulder told him to look on the bottom of his schedule, he snapped the page before his nose and skimmed through it as fast as he could. When he settled on the line of print that said "Group E," a sigh of relief caught in his throat. His heart hammered in his chest. His fists clenched. What once had been a sigh of relief turned to a bated whimper. Xigbar's voice droned on. when Sora attempted listening, pictures of Riku, Ari, Soddy, Roxas, and Ventus clambered through his mind. Even Kairi, young and smiling, hands clasped against sand, grinned from the shadow of his thoughts.

"Will the Princesses of Heart be given a task?" rang Belle's voice. Xemnas and Xigbar exchanged a short chuckle, responding that they would mostly deal with testing and reaching out to the remaining princess of heart. Sighs of dejection filtered over Sora's shoulders. Then the sound of a scraping chair.

"Why aren't we traveling, too?" Kairi's voice shot. Sora swiveled around to see her standing again, fists clenched, jaw set, and eyes boring into Xemnas' front. When Xigbar attempted explaining their task again, Kairi shook her head and amended, "why are you keeping us locked away? You wouldn't even let us travel in our vision quests!"

"Yeah, we all slept the whole time!" shouted Belle. Eventually, Aurora chimed in with a warbling voice. What once had resembled a smile left Xemnas' face altogether, replaced by a cold stare. Xigbar looked towards him in surprise and confusion. But Xemnas did not meet his eye. Instead he moved his gaze from Kairi's scalp to the tips of her toes, eyes narrowing with each passing inch. When Kairi opened her mouth again, Xemnas asked where her summon weapon was. Perplexion screwed her face into a grimace.

"My what?" she asked. Xigbar's eyes flashed in realization. He chuckled. Xemnas remained expressionless.

"Summon weapon," he explained. "A weapon summoned from the bearer's hea-"

"I know what a summon weapon i-" Kairi began, but Xemnas cut in, "your befuddlement at my previous question betrays that you do not."

"A summon weapon," he explained, "Is a weapon forged from the bearer's heart. It takes on physical, tangible form. Do Princesses of Heart possess a summon weapon?"

"Our weapon is our heart!" tried Aurora. Xemnas' raised hand quelled her voice as soon as it had sung.

"Then prove it," he said. "Knock Sora over." The Princesses of Heart looked from him to Sora with dumbfounded stares. After moments turned to minutes, Belle stepped forward and said they would not hurt anyone. Xemnas nodded and raised his hands.

"Can any of you summon a weapon I can see or touch?"

The girls looked to each other with fretful glances. After making eye contact with all of them, Xemnas nodded and announced, "that is what I surmised." As he turned to conclude the meeting, Kairi stepped forward again and shouted that she was not finished with him. Suddenly, two laser beams materialized in the sky above Xemnas' head and swerved for Kairi's torso. Before they could hit her, Belle and Aurora gasped and held her hands. A pink barrier formed before them that disintegrated the shots. Where Xemnas had once stood swirled a spiraling black ball. When the ball left the throne floor and spun towards the trio, Belle and Aurora gasped and shielded their eyes. The black ball swept straight between them. Kairi was swallowed within its shadow. As Sora saw her disappear, he jumped up and screeched in fright. He summoned his key blade as the rest of the class stood frozen in shock. When the black ball stilled its orbit and the shadowy billows surrounding it faded into the floor, Kairi stood in a daze before Xemnas' looming form. As she shook her head, he leaned towards her and asked how successful her heart had been in breaking his advance. Belle and Aurora's mouths fell open in horror. Kairi could not respond. Xemnas nodded and turned back.

"Wait!" Kairi attempted, lunging forward with arm outstretched.

"Unless you are hiding a key blade behind your back, I suggest you give up your ridiculous game," Xemnas warned.

"Try me!" Kairi bellowed. When Xemnas turned again, she held out her hand and bit her lip. Brilliant white light spiraled from her fingertips to a distance four feet ahead. When the light dissipated, a golden key blade with a welded flower bit trembled before her. As the rest of the class shrieked, Xemnas widened his eyes. Xigbar snorted shocked laughter at his back.

"Where did you get that blade?" asked Xemnas in a low tone. Kairi's nostrils flared as she sucked in a deep breath.

"I'd like to be transferred to Group E," she insisted. " _Now_."

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	34. Compadres

**A/N: hello~ I noticed I haven't gotten any reviews on chapter 33, which surprised me because some crazy shit went down in it! I just want to remind everyone, that chapter 33 USED to be an author update, but is NOW a brand new chapter called New Rules! If you haven't reread 33 since it was updated, GO BACK AND REREAD! You don't want to be behind a chapter, especially with everything I'm cooking up now! Thank you all SO much for your support! It means so much. Despite this story's accelerating length and complexity... I hope you can all keep up.** **I just wrapped up a chapter that was 15,000 words long! Just so you know, Sora has one more year of high school, so I am planning on doing a THIRD installment after this year finishes! I'm pretty sure that one's going to be a hell of a lot shorter than this one had been (I feel like this is my version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will it ever end?! Will Sora ever reach his final year of school?!) But who knows! It's all up in the air. Enjoy!**

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 ** _Chapter Thirty Four_**

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For the next two weeks, Sora's junior class divided into sections. The single section Sora knew of intimately was his own, and there were only two people in it. He and Nimo were forced head to head once more, through test upon test with each member of the Organization to see how fit they were to travel around the outside worlds. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday they were given pop quizzes. Every Tuesday and Thursday they had probation officer meetings to discuss any reservations or fears. The last time Sora checked, Reno did not have a counseling degree. But all the same, he was forced into that familiar, multi stepped office twice a week for advice. One difference between his meetings with Reno and his freshman year sessions with Axel was food. Reno always had some form of snack handy to keep Sora occupied. Each "counseling" appointment quickly turned into an excuse to munch and gossip. Though Reno always coaxed Sora dangerously close to his darkest secrets, he refrained from revealing them. For one thing, they were embarrassing. For another, he had learned his lesson after what happened to Ari. The single constant conversation point, though, remained Soddy.

"We've got a couple reports of him wandering around causing trouble," Reno sighed over his cup of coffee. Sora sipped on his hot chocolate and plopped in a few marshmallows with a nod. Reno had installed a handy hot drink machine on one of the filing cabinets beside his desk.

"The sooner he gets zapped the better," Sora offered, sipping again and wincing at the heat. Reno eyed him with affection and shrugged.

"Well, you know Riku was no sunflower, either."

"Riku didn't mess with my best friend's soul and submit him to all powerful darkness," responded Sora, inhaling marshmallow fuzz like a low grade vacuum. Reno snorted in spite of himself, muttering that Sora did not know if any of what he said was true.

"I'll know once I get out of this dump," the brunette grinned through a frothy white beard. Reno reached over and wiped it away for him. At the caress of the man's fingers across his upper lip, Sora blushed. His mouth hung open as strange memories flitted by. Memories of heartbeats just beneath the skin. Suddenly, his mood sunk. It seemed like forever since someone had touched him with love.

"Why do you think it's a dump here, Sora?" asked Reno, swiveling back and forth with his pen clasped between his forefingers. "Because Eraqus is gone?"

"Dead," Sora amended. Reno stared him down with a beady glance before shrugging.

"It's different," Sora tried. Reno shrugged again and said that that was the way of things once leaders passed.

"Each successor isn't going to be a copy, Sora," he murmured. "Sometimes we have to embrace the new, even if that new is scary."

"What if the new feels dangerous?" Sora asked. Reno's gaze narrowed further.

"We live in dangerous times," he said. Sora stared him down. Then he asked what had happened to Roxas. Reno shrugged and sighed that it was complicated. When Sora prodded him further, he made a deal.

"If you make headway on these little projects we give you and provide us with all the information you can, I'll tell you as much as I know."

"Really?" Sora asked through a beam. Reno nodded and winked. Before he knew it, the brunette was wrapping him in a hug.

"Whoa, there, kiddo," Reno chuckled as he rubbed Sora's back. As soon as the boy grappled him, though, he backed away. His expression grew serious. Reno's brows raised.

"Reno?" Sora asked in hesitation. "D-did you know Tseng was coming to take Ari? Were you the one that, that told them to come?"

Reno's smile faded. He glanced away and bit his pen.

"I didn't want it to happen either, Sora," murmured the redhead. "Turns out I'm not as high up on the food chain as I'd hoped. If not for the Marluxia mess this summer, things might have gone a hell of a lot different. Then again, if not for Marluxia, Ari might not have had a chance at life at all."

Sora's shoulders sagged as he glanced at his feet. He felt Reno's arm grip his shoulder hard. Though they seemed pitying, his feline green eyes held a sharp fire.

"Hey," he cooed, rubbing the same way Axel did. Clockwise, counterclockwise. Widening and widening arches. "You know, he had a great life. It was evident in how peacefully he left it. And the last thing he saw was great, unwavering love from his closest friends. Pain free, thanks to a beautiful woman. Hugged and kissed by a pretty girl. Run after screaming by a handsome guy," he added with a wink. Sora stifled a grin, though his blush betrayed him.

"Shit, Sora, I'd go that way any day!" blurted Reno in reply. "Better that than overdosing on chips in this damn stuffy office."

Sora acquiesced that eating too many crisps would be a sorry way to go. Reno beamed and dismissed him with a pat.

"Remember when I said we were compadres in this, all those ages ago? I still hold true to that," he said. "I gave you warning every step of the way when you were about to put a friend in danger, didn't I? Still will, no holds barred."

"So where has Kairi been for the past two weeks?" asked Sora suddenly. Reno shut his mouth and fixed the boy with a long stare. Then he chirped that she was being tested separately.

"Why?" asked Sora through furrowed brows. Reno shrugged.

"All comes down to who the hell did that key blade inheritance ceremony on her," he said.

"Will she be expelled?" gasped Sora. Reno scoffed and shook his head.

"Hell no," he insisted. "She's a Princess of Heart for crying out loud. But that kind of insubordination this young is a damn shock. She can't go into the outer world with a weapon like that if she can barely control her own voice."

Sora shrugged in what he had to admit was agreement. Kairi had always been impulsive, but not necessarily skilled enough in his eyes to support trouncing around however she liked. When it dawned on him that others used the exact same expression to describe him, he shoved it out of his mind adamantly.

"Will she be sent out on her own?" Sora asked.

"If she can manage, yes," responded Reno. When Sora pursed his lips and Reno asked what was wrong, Sora shrugged. His crush was budding in his chest.

"I- I just worry about her as a friend..." he started. "I wouldn't want someone to have to protect her if she got into trouble on her own."

"And you think you're capable of getting her out of trouble on your own?" asked Reno. Sora's mouth fell open in shock.

"What?" he snapped. "You think I can't look after myself?"

"Well, you're going after some highly dangerous and skilled individuals, Sora," Reno responded. "Perhaps underestimating your strengths to begin with would be beneficial to the overall plan. Kairi might have that edge over you as a new wielder. She's not under any illusions of grandeur."

"Illusions of-" Sora started in indignation. A knock on the door silenced his progress upward. When Reno glanced up and asked who was there, a twin nasal voice called back. Reno scowled and hoisted himself up, telling Sora to wait for him sitting down. Sora nodded and glanced over his shoulder in curiosity as Reno descended the steps. When the man reached his office door and pulled it open, twin green eyes and a mane of crimson hair leaned towards him.

"Meeting at nine tonight," the man started. When his eyes drew to Sora his brows rose and his mouth twitched up. Sora gave an awkward wave. Axel stared at him. His lip curled. It made Sora's brows furrow. When he called out the man's name, Axel gave a curt nod and told Reno to meet him when he could. Reno nodded and shook his head, chuckling as his brother stormed back down the stairs. Sora remained swiveled around in his seat in shock. When Reno stepped towards him asking what was wrong, he shrugged and muttered that Axel seemed off.

"He's been taking these disappearances hard," Reno mused as he reseated himself. "Has the gall to think some of it is my fault."

"Mine, too?" Sora tried with a gulp. Reno shrugged and murmured that maybe it was best for Sora to keep away from him. The brunette nodded. Then his brows furrowed.

"When Axel was taken away, Xemnas said something about his 'recruitment history,'" he explained slowly. "Then Vanitas said, 'better ways to save the world.'"

Reno stared at him dully. "And?" he coaxed. Sora shrugged and murmured that he had told Vanitas that Axel advised him not to join Organization Thirteen. "I told Vanitas he said there were better ways to save the world..." Suddenly, his eyes widened. Realization came soon after. When it dawned, Sora groaned and covered his face in his hands. Before Reno could reach out to rub his shoulder again, he looked up in anguish.

"It was my fault Axel was arrested, wasn't it?" he insisted. "Vanitas must have told Xemnas, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy," Reno snorted, clapping his hands around Sora's shoulders with a grin. "Axel was arrested because Axel was stupid. _Axel_ trounced around like he was invincible. _Axel_ gave out sensitive information like it was free candy. Axel's dumbassery was Axel's fault. Keyword being _Axel._ Not Sora. So don't let his pettiness affect your mojo."

"Um... okay," Sora intoned.

"It shouldn't come as a surprise to you by now, but Axel has a temper," Reno explained. "He's like a faulty gas oven. You press his buttons and you never know what way he'll light. Man can hold a grudge for years. Sad, really," he added with a snort, chomping through the middle of another chip as if it were a man's head. As he snuggled back and closed his eyes in satisfaction, Sora pursed his lips and stared at his hands. "You two seemed to get along so well before..." When he trailed off, Reno opened one eye. When Sora remained silent Reno raised a brow.

"Before what, Sora?" he goaded. "Before you came?"

Sora gulped, staring guiltily from beneath his lashes. Reno's rolling eyes and chuckle surprised him. When he asked what was wrong, Reno gave him a knowing glance.

"Are you basing all these assumptions off Axel patting my back in your Skype interview all those ions ago?" he inquired. Sora shrugged, muttering that it wasn't just that. "Ventus and Roxas, too. And Riku and Kairi. Aqua and Terra. Seems like everyone's friendships fall apart whenever I come along."

"Now you're projecting, Sora," Reno sighed. "And for your information, Axel and I did _not_ get along before your Skype interview. Neither did Ventus or Roxas. We were just better at hiding our distaste when things were going our way. And, as far as you go, some people just get a little in their feelings when others, well... take the spotlight."

Sora stared out in confusion, glancing from one end of the office to the other as if searching for clues.

"So... what's not going Axel's way?" he asked. To his surprise, Reno guffawed.

"Oh, Sora," he sighed. "Sora, Sora, Sora." For a moment he continued snorting in satisfaction. When he was finished, he opened his mouth in consideration, and then closed it. He glanced towards Sora with a grin, looking him over. Then he leaned in and winked.

"Axel is jealous, buddy," he murmured. Sora leaned in as well, his own cheek twitching up.

"Really?" he whispered, peeping over his shoulder as if the man in question would teleport behind him in an instant. Ahead, Reno nodded.

"Can't stand me," he added. Then he leaned back. "New wounds, old grudges. For one thing, magic never suited him. You'd think growing up a kid would _want_ to be a superhero- but coming with powers has its drawbacks. If I'm being honest, I think I've had an easier run of things than he has. More normal."

"Really?" Sora repeated. Reno nodded and held out his hands.

"Axel is like my shadow," he explained. "The yin to my yang. Covert, concealed, he's like a dark muggy cave. Sure, I deal under the table, but I've got a smile on my face the whole time. I'm the sun, he's an active volcano," as Reno laughed, Sora forced out a chuckle.

"Axel's jealous because I get what I want and he can't," the man finished. "He's like a bitter old lady."

"Oh," Sora gulped. "But... he wasn't like that with me... at least..."

Reno stared at Sora as if ready to snort. His raised brows and downturned chin begged Sora to rethink things. When Sora greeted him with silence in return, he snorted and chirped that Axel was a smooth flirt.

"I'm sorry... what?" asked Sora, lost for thought. Reno continued that it ran in the family with a wink. Then he shrugged and said, "like I said, active volcano, Sora. Hot and cold. In and out. Creamy unless you're a threat."

"Threat?" Sora inquired.

"Wasn't so nice around the drag show, huh?" Reno returned with another wink. Sora stared him down, attempting a smile but failing at it. It felt as though Reno were toeing a line, playing with him, repeating a joke and laughing at how many times it could stick without Sora catching on. Suddenly, he felt stupid and small. His shoulders sagged. His brows knit deep as he racked his brains in search of some kind of answer. All that came to mind was a stupid, selfish question.

"Do you think I'm a threat?" he asked, glancing into Reno's eyes. Their sharp greens crinkled with a complacent grin. The man smiled through a cheek full of chips and sipped another round of coffee. A shrug overcame his shoulders as he rolled his eyes. Then he sighed, "no." Sora's toes curled inside his shoes.

"I view you as a friend, Sora," Reno continued. "You're my compadre. I understand you."

"Uh huh," Sora murmured, glancing down. His jaw felt tight. His fingers trembled. Reno's hand reached out and gripped him by the shoulder, the thumb stroking up and down. Sora glanced up through his eyelashes. Reno's look seemed soft.

"I know you're nervous about your friends," he murmured. "I may joke with you, but I need you to know that we are doing everything we can to bring them back. Riku, Roxas, Argento, hell, even Sice. All of them."

"And you'll look after Kairi?" Sora asked. Reno snorted.

"Sure, Sora," he sighed. "But right now, my counseling assignment for you is to let Kairi look after herself. After all, you can't go trailing around after her forever."

 _"Watch me,"_ Sora's mind echoed against his will. When he stood and asked if there was anything else Reno wanted, the man stopped him and told him he needed a smile.

"This ship doesn't run on sad faces," he insisted. His green irises burned with warmth as he broke into a wider beam. Sora melted into a grin as well, slipping back in for a hug. For a few moments he stayed there, taking in the scent of Reno's neck and the feeling of his heartbeat beneath his skin, searching for a buoy of familiarity in a dark sea. Reno patted him on the back and told him to get going. Sora nodded and thanked him, giving a curt bow before swiveling on his heel and trundling down the steps and out the office door. When he stepped onto the landing, he peeped around, nostalgia overtaking him as he imagined Soddy's tall, dark form glued to the staircase. Instead, midway down, leaned against the small rose window above the stairway center, was Axel. Though Sora should not have been shocked to see him waiting there, he was. When the man heard footsteps clomping towards him, he turned with brows raised. When his glance met Sora's, he scowled and turned away, back to the shadow beneath the window. When Sora reached a step above, he stood in silence, lost for words. For a moment Axel entertained him. Then, he chuckled and shook his head.

"Better run along, Sora," he mumbled. "Wouldn't want my long face keeping you from packing."

"I don't need to pack just yet," Sora returned. "I don't even know where I'm going."

"Hopefully somewhere worth locating. Your friends' track records haven't been so good in that respect."

Axel chanced a peep at Sora from beneath a bent brow. The brunette remained silent. Axel chuckled, adding, "I hear Kairi's got her own key blade now."

Sora nodded and said it was true. Axel snorted.

"Now there'll be a whole pack of you," he cooed. "Wonder when I'll get mine. Although, judging by the amount of you left hanging around here, I might want to keep away from it."

The same searching peep glistened from beneath his dark lashes. Sora met it with a defiant nod. "You could say that," he said. It made Axel blink in something like shock. The redhead snickered and shook his head, rubbing his hand across his temple as he closed his eyes and sighed. Sora observed him as he did.

"Reno said you're taking the disappearances hard," the boy blurted out after the silence became unbearable. Axel snapped to attention and snorted, "You could say that." Sora nodded in return. Then, biting his lip, he apologized.

"For what?" Axel asked.

"For telling Vanitas what you said about joining Organization Thirteen," Sora responded. "That's why you're angry, isn't it?"

"I'm not angry, Sora," Axel responded without eye contact. "I'm just trying to figure out when you decided that 'just between you and me' included Vanitas and Xemnas."

"It was just a game," Sora warbled in response. "I never thought he would-"

"So I was held and tortured in some basement I had no recollection of entering because a fifteen year old decided to play a game with the guy who sexually assaulted him? Cool. Good to know."

"I'm sorry," Sora responded with rising volume, tromping to Axel's level. "I'm sorry for a lot of things. But some aren't my fault. The disappearances aren't my fault," he chanced. He regretted saying it as soon as he saw the ensuing look on Axel's face. The image of the faulty gas oven returned to his mind. The volcano erupted in a feint flush across the redhead's cheeks, breaking into a sneering smile as the man murmured evenly, "but they _are_ your fault, Sora." Sora gulped up at him and tried not to shake. Before he could ask why, Axel leaned down and winked.

"All this bullshit started when the Organization got interested in you. I'll be curious to finally figure out what they saw," he added, pushing past Sora's shoulder and down the steps. Sora winced as the man passed him by. He had literally and figuratively burned him. The boy's hands clenched into fists as anger bubbled up from the base of his stomach to the searing blisters budding along his shoulder.

"I'm different from anyone else at this school, Axel," he called, trying on a grin. "You know it. I'm unique."

Axel snickered and kept walking, calling over his shoulder, "Amongst an oasis of the extraordinary, why wouldn't you be?"

"You mean I'm ordinary, right?" Sora fired back, raising his voice in excitement as he barreled forward. "I'm not an idiot anymore, so you can't just tell jokes and expect them to fly over my head."

"Huzzah, Sora," Axel muttered in response. "You've finally evolved. I wonder when you'll find out the biggest joke of all."

Sora gritted his teeth and clenched his fists harder, ignoring Axel to shout what he had been planning to say from the moment the man first insulted him.

"I may be ordinary as dirt!" he railed, "but I've got the most powerful weapon in the world at the call of my heart!"

To his surprise, Axel burst out laughing. Sora had not formulated it to be a joke. But he should have expected this reaction. His chest heaved as he breathed. A lump crawled up his throat that he forced back down with a strong gulp. As he glared, Axel grinned up at him and raised his arms on either side.

"And look where it's gotten us all!" he mused. Sora whimpered against his will. Axel winked and turned to go. Before he could disappear beneath the balcony completely, Sora called that Naminé had told him something else about him. Axel stopped walking and furrowed his brows.

"I'm sorry," he said dully. "I'm not aware where Naminé enters into this conversation."

"Before the drag show I went to you for help and told you I knew you didn't want me at this school," Sora interjected, ignoring him and continuing where he had left off. "When Naminé told me that, she also said that you liked me even though you didn't want to. So even now, there's a part of me that you like, and you don't know why, and that's why you're being shitty to me. Because after everything you think I've done to you, you like me and you can't understand why."

"Actually, Sora, I understand perfectly well why," Axel returned like a whip, a pleasant grin plastered over his hissing consonants. "Thank you for reminding me."

Sora's heart beat like a hammer through his chest. Though it came so easily, he had not meant to say any of what had tumbled from his mouth. He hardly knew what he was talking about, though he felt like it had something to do with the way Reno had treated him earlier. Talking to Axel would help him figure it out. He had to stumble further, even if it stung. Axel's insults were empty, old news. They could not hurt if Sora pretended he had heard them before.

"You think the disappearances are my fault," Sora repeated dumbly. When Axel pierced him with a foul glare, Sora granted him an equally vicious gaze back. Axel snorted and shook his head. "I don't think, Sora. I know."

Even angry, the man was unreadable. Sora racked his brains for something else to pin him down. All that hit him was the repetition of a whispered phrase, along with the spiraling image of bronze fingertips tracing around dark, blushing nipples. _"Because of you,"_ the voice echoed over and over. _"Because of you, because of you, because of you..."_

"You're jealous of me," Sora bolted, parroting Reno down to his inflection. When Axel's brows rose, Sora rose his as well. A grin prickled at the side of his cheek. Axel responded with a smirk.

"Sora?" he questioned in a dangerous way. "Do you know where you're stepping right now?"

Sora lied with a spitfire, feverish nod. "Reno's hinted at it from the beginning of the semester," he blurted out. His heart leapt when Axel reeled back a gape.

"And you finally got it?" he asked, almost pleased. Sora nodded and grinned. "I finally got it," he repeated. Axel's eyes glinted. His neck craned forward as his shoulders curled back. Like a panther at dusk. It reminded Sora of the look Roxas used to get when they sat alone. But Axel was such a towering figure that it took on a sinister bound. As the man stepped towards him, he shifted back on instinct. It made the redhead snicker and point.

"You know," he began, as if dangling up a really wonderful gift, "he had that exact same face you're wearing now when he said along the lines of what you're saying now. I don't think he knew what he was getting into, either. I ruined him."

A nervous chuckle built in Sora's throat. He rubbed away the smile tearing at his features. He had to remain serious. He masked his befuddlement with a shrug. "Is that why he's gone now?" he tried. Sora knew he was thick, but he was not altogether insensitive. He knew that he was treading through a minefield, bounding and tumbling at random to see what would stick. He knew he had stepped on one when a shadow contorted Axel's features. For the briefest glimmer of an instant, he felt like the man would attack him. But the hackles lowered as soon as they rose up. Sora breathed out in relief. Axel reached up and patted his shoulder with a firm grip. Sora tried not to wince against it. The hand was searing.

"So when are you leaving, again?" the redhead whispered so close to his ear that his lips prickled the hair of Sora's skin. Sora held back another nervous snicker.

"Don't know," he gulped, shrugging Axel's hand away on the pretense of looking at him full on. "Guess Xemnas will say for sure. Should be soon."

"Well," Axel shrugged. "If you ever feel like repaying what you took from me, you should come by my office so we can arrange some kind of recompense."

His eyes shot straight into Sora's the instant the boy's glance narrowed. Sora felt the sweat pouring down his arms as the man pierced him down. Was he testing him? Axel's earlier question returned to his mind. He was answering it on repeat in his head, wringing his metaphorical hands through his hair as he begged, _"do you know where you're standing? Do you know where you're standing, you idiot?"_ It took everything in him just to nod.

"I'd be happy to," he croaked, putting on his brilliant, signature smile with the last of his effort. Axel hunted around his features once more. Then he asked how Sora liked it. Sora nearly shrieked with laughter. He was so far in the dark right now he did not know who he was anymore. When he begged his mind to come up with something, anything to respond before the man caught on that he was entirely out of his league, his instinct came up with, "however he liked it."

Without even realizing it, Sora seemed to have landed on the winner. Axel stuttered in shock. Then he clamped his mouth shut, clenched his jaw, and let his lips curl into a makeshift smile. The instinct to search Sora again died before it demanded action. He shook his head with a chuckle. He sighed that either Sora had leapt to new heights of consciousness or that he put on a very good act. Sora shrugged and shot back that if Axel had bothered chatting with him more, he would have found out how much he had changed. Axel snorted, inventorying Sora for a final time before saying goodbye for good. As the redhead waved up to him, he reminded Sora to meet him in his office.

"I'll be free after that meeting," he said. Sora contemplated clarifying if Axel meant the nine o'clock meeting with Reno, but he did not want to say anything to make the man know he was oblivious. Instead he nodded and called in the best enigmatic voice he could muster that he would see if he could make time. Axel snorted and turned around the corner of the staircase for the great hall. As his body drifted from view, he added, "and if you chicken out, I'll know you're faking." Then he was gone.

Sora stared towards the space beneath the rose window where he had stood for several dejected moments, letting his shoulders fall. He hated when people said stuff like that. What had he meant by "the biggest joke of all?" When he contemplated going back up the stairs to see if Reno was still in his office, a door slammed above and the leather soled dress shoes of the man in question clobbered forward. Sora glanced up just as Reno slipped onto the staircase. When they met eyes, Reno grinned and asked what Sora had been doing. Sora shrugged. Reno's eyes narrowed with a grin. He descended to Sora's side.

"Talking with my bad side?" he chuckled with a wink. Sora croaked a sham of laughter and shrugged again. Reno patted him on the back. His hand stayed rested between Sora's shoulder blades, right where his neck began.

"Did he tell you anything interesting?" he asked in a chirp. Sora glanced through him. "Nothing I could understand," he whispered.

"Was he hot or cold this time?"

"What?" Sora responded in befuddlement. Reno snorted and used his free hand to rub at his chin in feigned thought.

"Was he flirting with you or trying to make you cry?"

Sora took a minute to think about it. When he realized that Axel might have been doing both, he stared back down the stairs with a dumb gape, unable to respond at all. He felt Reno's thumb press against his back, rolling up and down.

"I'm telling you, Sora," he sighed, "compadre to compadre. Keep away. He's not the guy you want your information from right now- or anything else from, for that matter," he added after seeing Sora's expression. "You tell me if he tries anything on you and I'll sort him out."

"Like what?" Sora asked, perhaps a little too eager. Reno looked at him with a veiled expression. Dusk twinkled in his eyes, too. Then he shrugged. "Anything," he murmured with a wink. Sora glanced back to the rose window.

"What's the biggest joke of all?" he whispered. Reno bent close and snorted.

"Is that a riddle?" he asked. "Something Axel told you?"

Sora shrugged. Reno chortled.

"I'd never have thought you to be enigmatic, Sora," he intoned. "You're beginning to make me nervous."

Sora remained silent. Reno rolled his tongue around the inside of his mouth as he stared at him. He shrugged.

"Like I said, Sora. Don't take the bait."

"What's the bait?" Sora asked. Reno held his hands in front of him in mock surrender.

"Hell, if I knew, all the bullshit that's been going down this past year could have been avoided. _If I knew..._ " he repeated as if realizing something for the first time. Again, he glanced Sora over. When Sora stared back unabashedly, Reno clamped his hand around his shoulder and bent so that their noses paralleled their gaze.

"You come to my office after this 9 o'clock meeting, Sora," Reno whispered. Then he winked again. "You come by and we'll devise a little plan, eh? If Axel said anything devious, we'll unpack it together."

With a final pat to Sora's shoulder, Reno slipped past him the same way Axel had done. When Sora called after him that Axel wanted to meet him at the same time, Reno bit his lip and held back what sounded like a giggle. His eyes burned with something akin to excitement.

"Well, that _does_ complicate things," he sighed. "Why don't you meet me first, and then Axel can have you next. Remember, Sora," he added as Sora's shoulders slumped. When Sora failed to meet his eye, Reno slipped to his haunches and gazed up at him. Sora blinked down without the ability to speak.

"Hey," Reno cooed, reaching up and wiggling Sora's chin back and forth. Then he threw his arms on either side of him. "Compadres, right? Or is Axel more interesting?"

"It's not a competition," Sora muttered under his breath. Reno laughed out loud and covered his mouth in apologetic acquiescence. "I know, I know," he murmured, green eyes twinkling. It made Sora's jaw unclench. His fists relaxed until his palms felt cool air again. "Brotherly rivalry sneaks in at the littlest of moments. Probably happened the same with you and Riku."

Sora's hand flew to his chest without thought. He clutched at his heart as he nodded. Reno continued to squat before him, glance fixed on Sora's. He pointed his thumb towards where Sora's hand shielded.

"Remember, kiddo," he insisted, poking at Sora's hand enough for the boy to let out a giggle. " _That's_ the mission at the end of it all. All of this other hoo ha is just gun smoke. Just remember what you want to find the most. Let all the rest feed into that."

"Yeah," Sora sniffed, wiping at his eyes. Though it shouldn't have, it surprised him when he pulled back tears. Reno reached up and pressed the moisture from Sora's cheeks with his thumbs. Sora found himself holding the man's hands against his skin. Reno smiled at the gesture. Porcelain.

"Will finding Riku find Roxas as well?" Sora asked softly. A glint of fire passed through Reno's gaze. He glanced over his shoulders. Then, in a whisper he let slip, "who do you think Roxas is searching for?"

Sora's eyes went wide as his heart beat like a hammer. Reno grinned like a cheshire cat. Sora responded with an equally brilliant smile, clamping Reno's hands harder as the man hoisted himself to standing. Now it was Sora looking up to Reno. As the man held his face, he tapped his thumbs against Sora's cheeks.

"Memorize this, compadre," Reno warned. "Don't let your guard down for anyone. Even interesting people like Axel." Then he let Sora go and filed down the stairs.

"Do you think he's a liar?" Sora called. Reno snorted and shrugged, bringing his hand up and waving it back and forth in a "so-so" gesture.

"He's a manipulator, Sora," he settled on. "I should know. Come from a family full of them."

"Huh," Sora murmured.

 _Someone else told me that once._

"Oh, and you'll want to come to that nine o'clock meeting, too, kiddo," Reno's voice sailed up, jolting Sora from his thoughts.

~X~

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 **A/N: FOLLOW, FAV, and REVIEW, please! Thanks : )**


	35. Thorns

**A/N: Jackieredfield thank you! you're so sweet T.T**

 **Crazywill, hehe interesting conjectures. Yes, Sora is a mess with trusting the wrong people, which will continue getting him in trouble... but alas...**

 **R12, hello! Haha you will find out more about Riku and Roxas soon enough! This story is becoming such a slow burn reveal it's cruel, lol.**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Thirty Five_**

~X~

For the hour between Reno's warning and the meeting, Sora holed himself up in the electrical room and pined over the lucky charm Hacky had gifted him the semester before. Every time he reached into his pocket and felt air where its heart shaped surface should have been, he winced. Despite having washed it with his shorts several times, and despite the hard knocks it had received from training, it had retained its brilliant glimmer until its disappearance. It, along with Naminé's charm, had fallen somewhere between town and the river, high as the hill near the temple or low as the darkest depths of the pool beneath the summit waterfall. He had searched everywhere but there. If it was not in that icy darkness, someone must have picked it up and taken it for themselves. He should have hooked his charms at the end of his key blade, since all ended n a woven loop or metal clasp. With sudden anxiety he checked his other pocket, sighing in relief when he touched familiar thalassa shells.

Perhaps it was only right that Hacky's charm should rest at the bottom of the waterhole. Sora had wanted to give her a memorial, anyway. But Naminé's charm, like Kairi's, was different. Sora had promised to keep it safe. It had to be found. When fear clawed through him, he hooked Kairi's thalassa shells around his book belt. After an entire semester, he still had not bought a backpack. He used Joshua's canvas purse as a pencil case. Perhaps he would finally use his birthday present from Axel and Reno and go to the Magical Armory Shop to get a free upgrade. Until then, he would have to make do. As he mulled his future over with bitten lip, he snuggled back against the substation wall and closed his eyes, imagining that the clattering whir of the ancient substation fan was actually the flutter of little leather wings and clicking pincher teeth. As a draft wafted past the back of his neck, he imagined Hacky fluttering by and landing on his shoulder. He giggled as he made room for her, patting the side of his t-shirt as if she lay snuggled upon it.

"It's tough times for you and I, huh, old gal?" he sighed. After a few moments silence he added, "and I'm sorry about Ari. What he did was wrong. I don't know how moogles send off their dead, but... I'm guessing being thrown overboard to mutant fish is not on the top of the list. Even so... I hope you can forgive him. He didn't have it fair, either."

Silence save for the whirring fan responded. Sora listened to it for a moment before letting out a long sigh and hoisting himself up. As he stood, he furrowed his brows and leaned against the wall again, right above Hacky's hidey-hole. As he stared into its little recess, he pursed his lips.

"What do you think Reno and Axel were really talking about, Hack-attack?" he murmured. Silence. Sora chuckled.

"Too bad for you to tell me, huh?" he muttered. "That's distressing..." Then he glanced towards the door.

"I don't think I trust them, either," he whispered. As the admission left his mouth, a thunderous knock railed through the entire substation. Sora screeched at the top of his lungs. When he clutched his fists over his mouth and crouched to his knees in wait, murmuring voices echoed all around him. When the thunderous knock resounded again, Sora jumped in fright and charged towards it, tripping down the substation walkway and against the entrance door.

"Is Sora Nomura in there?" rumbled an unfamiliar voice from the elevator hall outside. Sora's brows furrowed as he tried placing it. When the mystery man thundered against the door again, Sora yelped the affirmative.

"Sora Nomura, are you aware of what time it is?" the voice hissed.

Sora glanced at Argento's stopwatch in confusion.

"Um... it looks like it's about ten till, sir."

"I am aware of that," the voice outside responded in a snarl, adding, "Are you aware that you are late for your first briefing?"

Sora's legs nearly gave way beneath him.

"What?" he gasped. "B-but, but Reno told me the meeting was at nine!"

"The syllabus provided to you at the beginning of the semester provided an online code providing access for the provision of briefings and etiquette therein. Or..." the voice stumbled outside in a low hiss.

"What?" Sora gasped, his voice taking on the quality of a child that had lost its stuffed animal. "But I never got a code! I swear!" When he tried remembering if he had even read the syllabus, his mind drew an ominous blank.

"Either way, your expulsion from the academy is being reviewed as we speak," the voice added. Sora found himself miraculously able to stand again, energetic enough to lunge for the door and wrench it open. When he collided head on with the chest of the massive being before him, he gasped and glanced up into two beady violet eyes amidst a sea of black dreadlocks. The man belonging to them was a head shorter than Lexaeus, which meant he was just under twice Sora's size. As his nostrils sent sickeningly warm gusts of air down Sora's cheeks, the boy winced and apologized for his tardiness in a low whisper. In response, the man curled his massive fist around Sora's collar, hoisted him up, and dragged him from the electrical room into the elevator. When they made it to the school's lowermost basement the monster wrenched Sora from his grasp and catapulted the boy before a conference room on the hall's righthand side. When Sora turned the doorknob and peeped inside, he met a stuffy room with blue carpeted floors, a grease board, and a bean shaped table with chairs seated around it. What was left of Organization XIII and the key blade wielders of the junior class swiveled around to stare at him. Even Kairi was present, prim and proper with makeup on, hair brushed back, and decked in what looked like a combat ready version of her pink dress. A line of multicolored pens, an eraser, two mechanical pencils, a stack of sticky notes, three magnetic page keepers, a calculator, a notebook divided into Cornell sections, a pencil case, and a stopwatch sat like a modern art masterpiece before her carefully manicured nails. It was obvious that she had planned for this meeting with laser like precision. Sora bent his head low as he lumbered to sit in the empty seat beside her. On her other side sat Nimo, comfortable as he watched Sora's slumping form and Kairi's ramrod focus in amusement.

"Well, well, well," sailed a gruff, nasal voice from the other end of the table. Xigbar. The man scratched around his eyepatch and grinned as he glanced Sora up and down. "Here I was thinking we'd have to cross another key blade master off our lists." When Xaldin elbowed him in the side, he coughed and quieted down. Then Xemnas took over. Reno sat at his side in subdued detachment. Axel slumped with arms folded two chairs from Sora's side. The boy could feel his eyes. It made him bend his head lower.

"Now that our last attendee has decided to show up," Xemnas murmured, pausing to give space for the ensuing chortles, "we can get started."

"Kairi," Sora whispered as Xemnas began introducing each member of the Organization, "can I by any chance borrow a piece of paper and pencil?"

Kairi nodded and hovered over the two mechanical pencils on the right side of her notebook.

"You can have this one," she decided, "because you write really heavy and it's a harder lead. Take some sticky notes. I really should have brought three-"

"Ah, the two extremes of the key blade wielder," Xemnas' voice sailed above them. When Kairi and Sora saw the point of his arms, they went beetroot red. Sora ducked and cuddled Kairi's paper and pencil to his chest, while Kairi pursed her lips and leaned further into the table. When the laughter and muttering died down and everyone had some form of writing utensil in their hand, Xemnas began again, recognizing the seniority of each Organization member present one by one, beginning with himself.

"I am Xemnas, Headmaster of the Land of Departure Training Academy, Superior of the In-between, and your number one," he started. Sora held back the snort crawling up his throat. When he saw the tremble of Kairi's lip and the toughness of her jaw, he knew that she was stopping a giggle as well. When Xemnas' narrow glance fell over him, Sora averted his gaze and pretended to scribble on his piece of paper.

"This is Reno Flynn, Second in Command of the Shinra Turks, Mission to the Galactic Federation, Head Ambassador to Organization XIII, the Key blade Council, and the Council of Foretellers; Xigbar, Ambassador to the Key blade Council and Council of Foretellers, Head of Recruitment, Freeshooter, and our number two..."

The fact that Xemnas had amended "your" to "our" just made Sora laugh harder. When more eyes began falling against his crouched form, he pretended to cough and said 'excuse me' in a quiet, pinched voice.

"Xaldin, Head of Defense, Ambassador to Château de la Bête, Whirlwind Lancer, number three..."

As Xemnas introduced each of the Organization members and they stood, waved, or nodded their heads, Sora got the feeling that he was either amongst a group of people with an inflated sense of importance, or a group he did not truly know. He liked to hope it was the former.

"Axel, Head of Intelligence, Flurry of Dancing Flames, and number eight."

Sora pinched his arms to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the nicknames the Organization gave themselves. He supposed they made sense, but they were oddly poetic for a research troop. The mere energy of keeping himself under control would exhaust him if this continued. But to his relief, the introductions petered to a close when Xemnas pointed to Nimo.

"Xehanort Nimoy II," cooed Nimo with a placid look. "Junior at the Land of Departure Training Academy, Keyblade Wielder, Inheritance granted by Master Xehanort- now under review."

When Nimo swiveled and peered around Kairi to look at Sora, something became apparent to the rest of the Organization that Sora could not understand. When Kairi realized it before him, she blushed and leaned towards his side.

"I," she began with a gulp, "I think we're sitting in the wrong seating arrangement."

Sora furrowed his brows in confusion.

"We sit in designated seats," Nimo helped. "In order of who summoned their key blade first."

Sora remained expressionless for a moment. When he processed what Nimo was saying, he stumbled to standing and asked if he should change his seat. Xemnas rubbed his forehead and sighed "no," for him to introduce himself as he stood. When Sora squeaked that maybe Kairi should go first since she was a lady, Kairi slapped her palm to her forehead and the rest of the Organization snickered or donned grave glances. As it grew apparent that Sora had no choice but to introduce himself, he gulped and tried remembering the order of what Nimo had said.

"U-u-um..." he croaked, glancing up as if the answers would appear in the air above his head, "S-Sora Nomura... the first... I think... and... Junior... Key blade, Junior at the Land of Departure Keyblade Academy, uh... Wielder... Training- Inherited..." he faltered. Then, lost for what to say next, he plopped down in his seat and clamped his mouth tight. The rest of the room sat in silent befuddlement. Then, Kairi rose and took a short bow.

"Kairi Panettiere," she chirped. "Junior at the Land of Departure Training Academy, Keyblade Inheritor, Inheritance under review." Then she sat. It was then that Sora noticed Xemnas scribbling scores on what looked mysteriously like a grading rubric. As the rubric swept behind Xemnas' sleeve, Sora contemplated kicking himself, deciding to cut the jokes and hone his focus enough to get through the remaining hour unscathed.

"The purpose of this meeting is twofold," Xemnas explained. "The first is to debrief current operations. The second is to reach a decision on the best way of assigning future operations with our current staff. Per instructions, we have asked all junior level key blade wielders assigned to Group E Fugitives to prepare a short presentation on who they want to retrieve and what hoops they will jump through to begin and complete their retrieval. Presentations from all members and interns should not exceed five minutes. Penalties shall be deducted if this occurs. A short question and answer session shall be hosted after Part One and then after Part Two, where Organization members will be expected to interrogate each of you on your research and anything they feel is missing from your examination of future operations. Rubrics for students present remain available on your new datascape accounts, whose activation process is outlined in your syllabus. Now. To begin."

Sora should have listened while Xemnas explained the current state of the academy. He should have taken notes on what he wanted to ask Xemnas in the question and answer session. But he was too busy scribbling the little "research" he could muster across his single sheet of paper on why he was the one who should look for Soddy. When he peeked towards Kairi and Nimo, he noticed that Kairi had handwritten an outline in multicolored pen, and that Nimo had printed a small packet of conversation prompts with what seemed like statistics in the margins. When Sora glanced towards Reno as if the man had betrayed him by not telling him what the hell the meeting was about, the man shrugged sheepishly. It made Sora wonder how informed Reno was to begin with. As Demyx stood across the table to discuss operations in Mount Olympus, Sora wrung his hands and began scrawling down whatever came into his head.

 _Reasons Sora Nomura I should look for Soddy._

Strike that.

 _Reasons Sora Nomura I should look for Ansem Seeker of Doom._

Why was the memory of Soddy's real name suddenly eluding Sora's consciousness? The boy wiped the sweat from his brow and clutched back the whine crawling up his throat.

 _Reasons Sora Nomura I should look for Ansem Seeker of Doom._

 _1\. He trapped my friend Riku in the (mountain? Outer world? Mind?)** decide soon **_

 _2\. He's been tailing me for an entire semester._

 _3\. He has Riku's key blade._

 _4\. He wanted to make friends with me and teach me the power of darkness._

Darkness! That was the end of his name. Sora revised it with a trill of hope and continued.

 _5\. He made friends with Yen Sid, Mickey, and Aqua to use them to get to me (see number 4)_

 _6\. He told me he has been talking to Riku in the outer world._

 _7\. He told me to come with him to the outer world._

 _8\. He is generally untrustworthy while I am not, so we compliment each other._

 _9\. He wields darkness and I wield light and I am better than Kairi at wielding and Roxas is missing and Nimo doesn't know him like I do._

 _10\. He saved my life when I fell in the river (suspicious) he was evil in my dream quest and after me to destroy me (contradictory)_

 _11\. He's got orange eyes and I've got blue (complementary colors)_

Sweat pooled under Sora's nose, along his clavicle, and down the pits of his sleeves. He was running out of leads fast, and the briefing was already half over. When Axel stood to explain the situation in Twilight Town, just how crucial getting this right was hit Sora like a ton of bricks, rendering anything and everything he had attempted conjuring up till that moment useless. After sifting his way through the mire with Nimo's cool voice explaining why he should search for Xehanort ringing in the back of his head, he realized everyone's eyes had turned to him. If he had been standing, his knees would have crumpled over his weight. As a round of coughs rung through the room and Xemnas rose a brow in encouragement, Sora unfurled his crumpled page of "research" and cleared his throat. When he attempted language, he found his mouth was so dry he could barely speak. When he begged for water, Reno slid him a bottle from the head of the table. Sora drank it in one slug. When he finished, he coughed, unfurled his paper again, and crossed his toes and hoped for the best.

"Today I will be discussing with you in an unorthodox fashion why I should search for Ansem, Seeker of Darkness in the outer worlds," he began in a surprisingly even tone. A bubble of confidence burst through his chest as he straightened in his seat.

"While I may not be as... prepared as my key blade wielding colleagues," he coughed, "I am filled with determination and a special connection to the man of which I am about to speak, thisconnectionbeginningwhenhestarredasleadingantagonistinmydreamquest."

As Xemnas and Saïx exchanged glances, Xigbar snickered, and the rest of the room's inhabitants gazed on Sora in pity, Sora sucked in a deep breath and muttered for himself to slow down. Then, he started again.

"On... some day in... July... last summer I infiltrated Marluxia's files and discovered a report by Naminé detailing that Ansem was the personification of darkness in Riku's heart. In the real world, this darkness swallowed Riku and ejected him somewhere in the outer world. In the dream world, Ansem took over Riku's body and submitted him to the Realm of Darkness. While I defeated him, Riku could not. Little did I know Ansem was a-"

"Two minutes," Saïx said in disinterest. Sora gritted his teeth and moved on with a gulp.

"When Ansem first arrived here, I surmised he'd trapped Riku in Departure Peak under a rotten patch of blossoms-"

"Sora, for having a case built solely on _your_ connection to Ansem," Xemnas interjected, "your prime argument seems to be the bond between he and Riku."

"Out of the entire student body, he had the most interest in me," Sora croaked. "He not only approached me about tutoring, but about advice, sharing sensitive information, traveling into the outer world with him, and becoming his apprentice once he achieved his Mark of Mastery. He said he could hurt my friends if he wanted to. He trusts me more than he trusts Nimo, and Kairi is too inexperienced to stand a chance against him."

"Okay, whoa," Kairi reeled back in indignation, curling her lip as if a bad smell had crept up her nostrils.

"Plus, we compliment each other in nearly every way- down to eye color," Sora finished with gusto, slamming his paper down in an attempt not to pat himself on the back. For a moment the entire organization stared at him. Nimo held back a snicker, smoothing his cheeks instead. Kairi glowered at the wall. Xemnas glanced to Saïx for time.

"Ten seconds," Saïx sighed. Xemnas held up his hand.

"For the sake of time, we'll start the question and answer session here," he announced. "If anyone has reservations or inquiries about Sora's... plan of action, please state them now." As soon as he finished, Xigbar leaned forward and raised his hand. Xemnas rolled his eyes and cocked his head towards him. Xigbar slumped back in his seat.

"So let's get this straight, Mr. Hero," he intoned. "What made you decide to go for ad hominem attacks, appeals to probability, fallacies of composition, false authority, false equivalence, kettle logic, faulty generalizations, etc, etc, I could go on for days, instead of following the prompt outlined in your syllabus, namely to provide a plan of action for retrieving your fugitive of choice?"

"Uh..." Sora gulped. "It was the, uh, the... hoops?"

Several snorts and snickers whispered through the audience as the Organization attempted to hold in its laughter. Even Saïx, normally stoic, shook as he attempted recording the proceedings, his pencil skittering back and forth as if too tickled to write.

"Is that code for 'I didn't read the syllabus at all'?"

"Hasty generalization," Xemnas interjected, adding through a suppressed snort, "with a dash of appeal to probability."

Luxord leaned his head against the table and burst out laughing. When a few others joined in, Sora gave a weak chuckle as well. In the end, Xaldin scoffed and slipped his notes from under the table, announcing that if no one else was going to take this seriously, he would. Xemnas gave him the floor with a pursed grin.

"I have several questions," Xaldin railed. "Listen carefully because I will not repeat them: One. You stated that you are not as prepared as your colleagues. How did you surmise this? Is it because you showed up late, introduced yourself incorrectly, sat in the wrong seat, and wrote notes while others spoke? Did you read the syllabus at all? Two. The prompt's direction was to explain _how_ you would search for Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, not _why_ you should search for him. Your capability was assumed; that is why you were placed in Group E. It was an honor which you have flagrantly flouted. To be brief: how do you believe refusing the prompt gives you the right to hunt Ansem? Three: why did you talk about sneaking into, vandalizing, and stealing confidential information from a professor's office? Why did you site a confidential report by an unofficial member of the organization, who is now on the fugitive list? Why did you incorrectly quote her? You could not even provide the specific day the stealth occurred. I inferred that it was an effort to reveal your insight, but it made me mistrust you further. Four. Why didn't you provide information on your connection to Ansem earlier in the year, when it would have been useful?"

"Sora provided me with all necessary information," Reno responded. "And I had reasons for keeping that information private."

Xemnas nodded in concurrence and indicated for Xaldin to continue.

"Let Four be stricken from the record," Xaldin sighed begrudgingly. "And replaced by this: what is your plan of action for retrieving Ansem?"

Xemnas nodded, asking if anyone else had different questions. Everyone shrugged or shook their heads. So Xemnas turned to Sora. Sora blinked up from the paper he had feverishly scribbled Xaldin's questions on in terror, clearing his throat to answer them one by one.

"Um... I surmised this-"

"Qualify your answers, Sora," Xemnas intoned.

"What?" Sora squeaked, close to tears. Demyx winced towards Luxord, who rubbed his eyes in exasperation.

"I suspected that I was not as prepared as my colleagues because," Reno rang out in encouragement. Sora fumbled through a nod and stuttered, "I suspected that I was not as prepared as my colleagues because they came on time, and... and I didn't read the syllabus," he finished in dejection.

"Surprise, surprise," Xigbar muttered, receiving another elbow to the side from Xaldin.

"I- I don't believe refusing the prompt gives me the right to hunt Xaldin, I mean, Ansem-"

The Organization burst into laughter again, patting Xaldin on the back. Sora scowled and sat up straighter. "When Xemnas said 'hoops,' I thought he meant what made me worthy of hunting Ansem, but... but I guess I misunderstood..." he coughed. "I quoted Naminé's report because it might provide clues as to where Ansem went, and maybe since she was always sympathetic to him she might have followed him. I quoted incorrectly because I haven't read the report since last summer. And my plan of action-"

"Time," Saïx announced, clicking his stopwatch and glancing up. "Ten minutes have passed. We have to move on."

"But I didn't even get to say how I'd catch-" Sora started in panic, but Xemnas indicated with a hand for him to keep silent.

"Your inability to state your plan of action is no fault of ours, Sora," he intoned. Then he indicated Kairi to stand. When she did, she swept her packet up before her, bowed, and grinned. Then she began.

"Hello. My name is Kairi Panettiere. The date is the 27th of February. Like Sora, I will be detailing my plan of action for hunting down Ansem Seeker of Darkness."

Sora glanced up at Kairi aghast. Why was she searching for Ansem as well? Why not Riku? Or Aqua, or Mickey? As she began her thesis, Sora swept up the free side of his paper and took furious notes, vowing to ask her ruthless questions since he had already presented.

"...I unabashedly admit that I received my key blade inheritance from Aqua Holland, who developed a close relationship with Ansem over the course of last semester," Kairi explained. "Because of his interest in Riku, he approached me frequently with offers for advice and combat lessons. Due to these connections and his partnership with former professor DiZ, I believe they are working together, with Naminé, and perhaps, with Aqua as well, or at least with Aqua in mind. I deduct that they are operating from either Radiant Garden, my hometown," she coughed. Sora reeled back in confusion. Since when did Kairi come from Radiant Garden?

"Twilight Town, or from a remote location in the Land of Departure. If I work with a partner to establish lanes between these locations and gain knowledge of Ansem's movements, I can not only discover why they have fled, but what they are planning next. If we catch them, there's a chance we could catch many more the same way. And, if I may follow Sora's example with my last thirty seconds..." she coughed again. "The absence of darkness in my heart means I am impervious to a number of Ansem's attacks. This coupled with my key blade grants the unique opportunity to build bridges between worlds and fight off a number of unique enemies. What I lack in experience I make up for in humility, dedication, and patience. And unlike _skill_ , these qualities cannot be taught, but are part of the original package. Thank you."

Claps rang through the room as everyone glanced around with approving looks. When Saïx called time, Xemnas sat up straighter and asked if anyone had any questions. Xigbar raised his hand again. Xemnas scoffed but called him out. The man nodded and clapped again.

"Before I dive in- brilliant job, kiddo. If I had a gold star, I'd give it to you."

Kairi stifled a smile.

"But I'm having one eensie-weensie hang up," Xigbar continued. "Namely your behavior the first day back. You know, when you undermined your headmaster twice, then drew a weapon on him-"

"After he threatened to attack Sora and I," Kairi clipped. Reno beamed, impressed.

"Well..." Xigbar meandered, wiggling his palm in a so-so gesture. Kairi plowed on.

"He continued the memory pod program that sent a comrade and friend into darkness-"

"I don't know if you remember, kiddo, but your friend was here last semester-"

"Everyone in this room knows that that was a replica," Kairi shouted, reeling herself back with a measured breath. "I admit I jumped the gun implying this to the rest of the class two weeks ago, but Sora implied that the real Riku disappeared in his plan of action and no one pulled him up on it-"

"Well, Sora's 'plan of action' is in an entirely different... _league_ than yours."

Sora's heart trilled with hope. His plan was in a different league?

"Besides my indignation at professor Xemnas' treatment of Riku, which was abhorrent, I also brought him up about his treatment of myself and my fellow princesses of heart. I think the treatment was sexist and ableist, and here I extend the definition of ableism to include those with _different_ abilities rather than _dis_ abilities, though Xemnas seems to think being a princess of heart is a _dis_ advantage in the fight against light and dark-"

"Not a disadvantage, but a liability," Xemnas sighed, "And on that note, please explain how your disregard for hierarchy of power constitutes an advantage in your quest to capture Ansem."

"I felt like I wasn't being given enough to do," Kairi insisted. "I was tired of waiting. That's not a problem anymore, because I have been given a job. I am capable of working in a team if I think the team is serving the needs of everyone. If I have reservations, I bring them up immediately instead of sweeping them under the rug. You can trust and depend on me."

"Well," Xemnas beamed, "you advertise yourself very well, Ms. Panettiere."

Everyone else in the room seemed to agree. But the looks they passed around made Sora uncomfortable. Their narrowed eyes, smirks, licked lips, stroked chins, cocked heads... if he did not know any better, he would say they were sizing her up. Even Reno and Axel granted her their signature grins, carefully concealed under furrowed brows, extended hands, and averted eyes. It almost made Sora jealous. Without thinking he raised his hand and asked if he could ask a question. Xemnas nodded.

"You said you practiced with Ansem and Aqua," Sora inquired. "How can that be true when I practiced with Ansem as well?"

"Ansem didn't live in your pocket, Sora," Kairi growled. "He taught other students as well."

"This line of questioning is irrelevant," Nimo interjected. Sora tried something else.

"Kairi sat around making thalassa shell charms on the islands while I fought Riku-"

"You mean lost to Riku-"

"So if Riku lost to Soddy, that means you're less qualified than me!"

"Wait, Soddy?" Xigbar blurted out.

"You always started the fights between us because we were trying to protect you-"

"Well congratulations, Sora, because you don't have to protect me anymore-"

"And I just worry that you won't be able to protect yourself because of your-"

"We'll have partners, Sora-"

"But you might bring your partner down because..." Sora started, trailing off to a stutter. But Kairi was one step ahead of him. Furious, she lunged from her seat and leaned over the table towards him.

"Because of what, Sora?" she spat. "Because I have tits?"

The whole room clapped their hands over their mouths and sniggered like children, glancing around wildly except for Xemnas, Saïx, and Xaldin.

"We, buh- I..." Sora gulped, failing to insist anything but guilt. Kairi sucked in a deep breath and slammed her paperwork on the meeting table, flinging the rest of her supplies in all directions.

"Frankly, Headmaster, I don't think Sora is qualified to hunt for anyone at all," she snapped. "I haven't seen a single ounce of improvement since he picked up the key blade in the first place, and its been a year."

"In my dream quest-"

"It was a dream, Sora," Kairi barked. "It was your imagination! Maybe if your head wasn't so big you'd figure that out."

"My head is perfectly normal!" Sora roared, eliciting several shushes and rolled eyes. "And Soddy wanted me to find him, not you, he doesn't even know you-"

"Oh yeah?" Kairi hissed with fire in her eyes, digging into her pocket and pulling out a charm in the shape of a paopu fruit. "Then explain why this was sitting at the bottom of the Besaid Sea, shining up at me like a lightbulb when I dived in!"

When Sora realized that the charm was identical to the one Naminé sent him to protect, he gasped in shock.

"That-"

"Kairi?" Xemnas intoned, dead serious, now. "Please explain what that is."

"It's the charm that got me my key blade," Kairi responded. The charm exploded with light in her hand. When the glow dissipated, replacing it was her key blade. A paopu charm with two baby leaves twinkled from the chain on its handle. When she relinquished it, the charm reappeared in her hand.

"I witnessed the Riku replica holding this last semester," she explained. "I inferred that Naminé made it for him because they were close. Ansem informed me of Naminé's connection to DiZ, and if the two of them and Riku met, which I realize is a gamble-"

Luxord chuckled without helping himself, blushing and stuttering to silence when he attracted several glances.

"-I can only guess that Riku opened a portal of darkness and left this at the bottom of the Besaid Sea in an effort to get me to summon my key blade."

"Why would Riku want you to have a key blade?" Xemnas asked in genuine curiosity.

"If Ansem and Aqua were close, Aqua might have told him she was training me, and if Ansem told Riku... then why not make one more warrior of light? There seems to be a market for them, what with four missing in the last few weeks alone."

The Organization grinned hungrily at her, ecstatic with the plethora of information she provided. Xemnas glanced towards Xigbar, then to Xaldin, and then to everyone else. Then he asked Saïx for the time. Saïx gasped when he glanced at his watch, muttering that they had gone over by fifteen minutes.

"You know she's a keeper when Saïx can't take his eyes off her," Xigbar joked. As laughter rose throughout the room, Saïx scoffed and disappeared into his notebook. Kairi remained standing, desperation fluttering with every blink. When Xemnas indicated for her to seat herself, she nodded and did so. Then he stood and clapped.

"Excellent presentations... for the most part. Sora will be receiving disciplinary action for his behavior today. Otherwise, meeting adjourned."

Sora froze as the rest of the Organization mumbled official goodbyes and moved to go. When Xaldin stood over him and informed him that he would be locked in the basement if he remained seated any longer he stood and stumbled out, blinking when he caught sight of Nimo heaping the supplies that had fallen on the floor into Kairi's arms. He smiled like a silver headed cherubim as he spoke close to her ear. Then moving back, he murmured that "if she ever wanted to talk, he would be there." Sora curled his hands into fists as she replied curtly that she would think about it. When Nimo turned and noticed Sora's stare, he narrowed his eyes, rolled his tongue around his cheek, and strolled past him in satisfaction, trailing his nose along Sora's cheek as he whispered, "Kairi's getting fed up with you. Wonder how long it will take for you to lose another friend."

Sora gritted his teeth and watched him go, wishing he could wipe the smug grin off his face. When he looked at Kairi again, she glowered. But he set his jaw and trudged towards her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. Kairi scoffed and averted her gaze, sighing that he didn't sound very sorry. Sora scowled and shuffled from foot to foot. "I guess I just got jealous-"

"Sora, you have been like this since day one," she insisted. "It's like whenever I get something, it takes something away from you. Why does it have to be that way? Me having a life shouldn't affect yours."

"Kairi-" Sora tried to say. But she continued shaking her head.

"At first I thought this school infected you," she whispered. "You never acted like this on Destiny Islands. But then I realized it was because you felt _safe_ there. It's like you said. You two were playing hero, and I was playing war bride. 'Thinking of you, wherever you are.' Minerva, I even wrote a poem about it..." she groaned, shaking her head in embarrassment. Then she smiled. "But this is my path. And Riku knew that. He didn't send me that charm because I needed it to summon a key blade. He gave it to me because I needed it to feel _worthy_ of summoning a key blade. A guy had to tell me it was okay to be a hero. And that's sad. But I'm not going to be like that, anymore," she insisted. "I'm going to work hard, too. You need to respect that. Because if you don't, we can't be friends anymore," she concluded. Her beam disappeared. Her glance turned cold. When she turned to leave, Sora stumbled to keep up with her.

"But," he started, "so you just touched Aqua's key blade and the inheritance happened for you? You didn't have anyone else... sort of... help you along?"

"Nope," Kairi chirped. "It was just me, Aqua, and the ball of light that passed between our hearts."

"But..." Sora began in disbelief. "But what if the charm was cursed or something, and, and another wielder, like Soddy or something, is controlling you from afar and you just don't know it yet? What if the charm wasn't Naminé's at all?"

"You know what, Sora?" Kairi said finally, turning and spearing him with a disdainful glance. "I don't give a shit what the charm is. Keep it yourself, if you're so scared. Keep it and give me back mine."

Sora stared at her in confusion as she stuck her hand out. When he realized she wanted her thalassa shells, he sighed and unclipped them from his book belt. Once he dropped her charm in her palm, she dropped Naminé's in his and stalked off. Sora watched her leave without knowing what to say. When she was gone, he peeled over the charm's surface with utmost attention, confirming every detail he knew that connected it to Naminé's letter. When he could not find anything to say it was otherwise, his fingers curled into fists and he stalked towards the elevators in fury. He jabbed in the ground floor and leaned against the wall, ignoring when several organization members, including Axel, emptied in beside him. They glanced over their shoulders at him as they whispered to each other.

"Sora," called Xemnas from near the door. "I'd like to meet you in my office tomorrow to discuss ways of redeeming your grade. Again, you have fallen short."

Saïx snickered as Sora slumped further. No one noticed Axel glancing him over in expectation. All Sora saw was his feet, the elevator floor, and a meandering, repeating vision of Kairi. First she was practicing with Ansem and Aqua behind Sora's back. Then Aqua was performing the inheritance ceremony on her, cheering and hugging her when light passed through her without issue. Then Kairi was on Destiny Islands, enjoying the winter heat and diving deep into the Besaid Sea from Wakka's dad's longliner, no doubt vacationing with Selphie and her old Islander friends. The deeper Kairi crept, the more darkness engulfed her, until she was trapped in the same icy cold that had lured in Sora when he jumped into the pool beneath the Summit Waterfall with Soddy. Just when she relaxed and floated to the sea floor, strange, terrifying angler fish, sharks, and squids barring her escape on all sides, a light shone from beneath. Kairi tried to gasp, but water filled her lungs. A star shone below her, not a watery reflection, but a real one, one that glowed up at her like a gold beam. When she grabbed it, it transformed into a key blade and shot her out of the darkness into blinding white light. These visions repeated in Sora's head, one by one, over and over until they were so distorted by rancor that he shook and bit his lip to keep from sobbing. Overlaying all was the sound of distant water, like a faucet left on in another room, and gentle waves high above. Sora's eyes widened. When the elevator doors opened, he lunged around the Organization's legs and swerved for the exit door, bursting into the night and charging around the school side, past the maze, and past the forecourt, until he was curling down the spiral staircase towards the white bridge he could barely see in the dark. All he could hear was the thunder of water below that disappeared as he scaled the mountain path to the summit. When the golden rings snuffed out behind him and the stone archway loomed ahead, he charged faster. Finally, he made it to the green he had cried upon after the drag show. When he got there, he reclaimed his breath. Then, when he was ready, he tore off his clothes for a second time and stomped to the summit edge.

When he glanced down, all he heard was thundering water. All he saw was mist, which crawled like a giant ghost up his thighs and abdomen, fluttering his eyelashes closed as he shivered. He bit his lip as he chanced a second look down. Then, sucking in a deep breath, he summoned his key blade. It glinted silver and gold before him. Raising it into the sky, he shouted, "aeroga!" Then, once the swirling pillar of wind twirled around him, he gritted his teeth, pointed himself forward, and jumped.

He screamed in terror and excitement as he whizzed further and further down, through bundles of mist the color of cotton. He felt as though he would drift through clouds forever. Then, just when the fear of hitting the watery slab below engulfed him, he pointed himself into a dive, let his key blade disappear, and cut through the ice cold sheet with a thundering boom. For a few moments he sunk down, sucking in a gasping breath. "Graviga!" he whispered, crossing his fingers and hoping for the best. He rarely used this spell, as it was mostly useless on human foes. But to his surprise, he sunk faster and faster, until his body curled around and he was standing on the river bottom as though he were in a black, sandy floored room. When he glanced up he saw a haze of deep pthalo blue. When he gazed around him, nothing. With a shiver he summoned his key blade again, screeching in fright when a massive catfish was illuminated right outside the protection of his magical enclosure. With chattering teeth, he cast aero and gravity again, wondering how long he had till his magic ran out. He had gotten to the point in his training where he did not have to land hits to regain stamina. But once he was spent, he would have to wait to recharge. He did not think the river bottom would allow his body that time.

Sweeping back and forth, he let his key blade float like a flashlight overhead as he hunted the river bottom, avoiding on tiptoes the broken bits of stone, branch, and sharp pointed weeds jutting from the bottom. Every once in a while a fish would bump against his barrier, scaring him into casting magic again. When he feared he was reaching the end of his strength, he pointed his blade up, cast aero a final time, and then magnet, a spell Soddy had taught him towards the end of their time together. To his relief, he whizzed up to the water's surface and spiraled through the air above the cliff beside, until he fell with a yelp. He waited shivering for what felt like forever, inventorying how far he had gotten and how far he planned to go next. Then, feeling his strength return, he cast aero again, dived in, and then cast gravity. Soon he was on the river bottom once more, hunting around a patch of weeds that looked almost identical to the one he had searched five minutes ago. Despite this, he kept going, begging the spirits of Hacky, Riku, Kingdom Hearts, Minerva, and even the old gods of Destiny Islands to help him. When he noticed something glittering out of the corner of his eye, he lunged towards it in hope, digging his hand into the sand surrounding it and pulling it up with a grin. When he brushed the river sludge from its surface, his heart sank and lifted at once.

It was not Naminé's charm, but Hacky's. Sora groaned and dug it down his hip, wincing as he remembered he was naked. He felt his magic slipping away again. In defeat he decided to clip the charm on the end of his key blade. Before he could, something else caught his eye, further in the deep outside of his protection. It was black as the bottom of a well, and pulsed like a boil. Purple veins rippled through its bulbous, beach ball sized body. Sora's nose wrinkled as he stared at it. Then, he remembered something Kairi had said in her plan of action.

 _I can only guess that Riku opened a portal of darkness and left this at the bottom of the ocean._

Sora's heart burned with yearning. Was Naminé's charm waiting for Sora, as well? Was Riku calling out to him? He had felt the darkness the last time he dived into the river bottom. Had this been there then, as well? Was that why Soddy had pulled him back? Grinning, Sora reached out his hand and touched it. The boil sizzled and pulsed, shrinking on itself as if in fright. Sora inched closer. When he touched it again, it kissed his fingertips. The outside of the boil was sticky and warm. The further his fingertips drifted through its bubble like lid, the cooler it became, until his whole arm fell through and met with bitter cold. In vain he felt around, hoping against hope that he would stumble upon something. But all he touched was air. As the spell surrounding him grew weaker, he cast aero and gravity again. Then, he took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and thrust in his head.

At first, all he felt was an icy draft. His breath billowed visible before him, settling and wetting the frost against his nose. He sneezed and opened one eye. Then he opened the other. Then he gasped.

He was staring from the top of nothingness into an endless abyss, as if staring into the atmosphere of another world. Somewhere far below, a stained glass window, lit from beneath the pillar it headed, rose from the darkness. When his eyes centered on its engraving, he gasped.

It was a picture of himself in the red romper Marluxia threw away during the summer. The one he had practically grown up in. His massive print was leaned against the pillar side, sleeping. He held his key blade. Twinkling from four inlaid, blue glassed circles behind were pictures of four figures: Riku, Kairi, Ventus, and Vanitas. Sora blinked at the column in wonder, rubbing his eyes with his free hand to see if he was dreaming. Where was this? As he peered further, he noticed a staircase leading up to the column. Running along it was a tiny figure. Sora called out to it. It continued. When he called out again, it stopped and glanced up. Sora furrowed his brows. It was backing away. Digging his two hands into the weeds on the river bottom, Sora leaned so that his whole torso hung inside the dark boil. He peered from one end of the abyss to the other. When he was sure nothing was there, he glanced towards the figure again. It was gone. "Hey," Sora called into nothingness, leaning closer. Then, he dove backwards and screeched.

A massive, white gloved claw shot through the pulsing boil with him, barely missing him as he cast aero and gravity again. The claw became a hand with a sharp thumb and fingers conjoined in one tapered, clothed point, which dug like a trawler through the riverbed surrounding in search of Sora's body. Sora reeled back in horror, tripping over weeds as he screamed in shock. The claw stretched and grew until it resembled a curving, boneless branch, thrashing madly as a giant, triangular shoulder and bitter cold burst after it. When its other arm joined it, it pressed against the sides of the boil until it tore the bottom of the riverbed in half, stretching weeds and sand until they were pixels of green and brown surrounding a sea of nothingness. Sora swam upwards in terror, forgetting everything except his need to escape. As he flipped his blade upwards to cast magnet, a branch like arm seized his foot and wrenched him down, making him lose his grip.

"No!" he wailed, watching as his blade floated up and away from him. When he looked down, he stifled a gasp. A head was peeling from the dark abyss's center, featureless and grey save for a white x with two bulbs beneath. It moved closer and closer until it was within arm's reach. Gritting his teeth and pulled back his fist, Sora punched it right where its nose should have been. The creature reeled in pain and released him. Sora tried cheering. Then, he realized that his barrier was gone. Calming, he reached out his hand and begged his blade to come back. Sure enough, it burst from a beam of light in his hand. Grinning, he cast aero. Nothing happened. Anxiety poured through him like ice as the river walls surrounding made his ears ring, his chest expand, and his heart rate slow so much he feared he was dying. As his lungs contracted, the little air he had left slipped away. Fire climbed up his esophagus as he clawed his way up. He could feel strange, white and blue tendrils scattering and creeping around him. But he refused to look down. He swam with all his might, begging himself to reach the surface. Black dots jittered before his eyes. The strength in his arms left him. Soon, he was barely able to keep himself from sinking. He paddled with random, weak swipes, tears blurring his vision. The tendrils surrounding crept closer, like seaweed. For some reason, he knew he would pay if one touched him. But before the creature summoning them could reach for him again, the water surrounding turned red and warm. The pressure lessened. His lungs grew. It was like the river was being drained, and he was floating closer to the surface. When he got so close he could see the outline of the falls and the moon far above, he let out his last sliver of breath and broke surface, sucking in shuddering gasps until he was hoisted through the air. For an alarming moment, his vision and hearing completely left him. All he could sense was the drag of the stones beneath his feet and and the tug of leather at his side and around his waist. Something slapped his face. He winced and shut his eyes. When he opened them again, a grey haze loomed through the spray above, engulfed in gold and staggering blue. When Sora's gaze focused, he realized that it was the creature from the abyss, flailing in silence above as the waterfall sprayed over its back and fire engulfed its sides. Pushing the water below its legs apart from the stones at Sora's feet, was Demyx. Clutching Sora to his chest and beating the grey monster back with pillars of flames, was Axel.

"Axel?" Sora croaked in shock, but the man bellowed for him to shut up. When Sora felt around him and realized Hacky's charm was still at the bottom of the lake, he cried out and lunged forward. Axel grabbed him by the hair and wrenched him back, making him slip and fall against the stones.

"Move a muscle and I'll burn you alive!" the man roared. The monster's claw like, conjoined fingers swept towards him. Before they could touch him, he summoned his chakrams and flung them forward, covering Sora with his back as they detonated like bombs. The monster thundered against the river wall opposite and cracked the stones, sending Demyx screeching into the water. As he fell, the basin he had sucked dry filled with waves, covering the monster to its neck. As it thrashed about, Axel staggered back in exhaustion. Sora blinked from behind him into the creature's featureless face. Then, gripping his key blade tightly he rose it in the air, swung it behind him, and mouthed a spell to himself that he had read about in the library and witnessed Terra complete. Before he could blink, he shot across the river in a flash of pink light, slicing right through the creature's forehead. When he stumbled to standing and gazed from the cracked rocks below, the creature swayed and stumbled. Then, shivering, it slithered beneath the surface of the river and was gone. The water tumbled, fizzed, and then silenced. Demyx sputtered from its surface and climbed to Axel's side, sopping wet and shaking. When he saw Sora on the other side, his brows furrowed in befuddlement.

"Sora!" he screeched. "How the fuck did you get all the way over there?"

Sora opened and closed his mouth in oblivion. Then, remembering Hacky's charm, he rose his key blade, cast aero and gravity, and jumped in again. In no time he was back on the river bottom. The sand and weeds had returned to normal. The dark boil was gone. He could not see Hacky's charm anywhere. In dejection he swept back and forth, pleading with the gods again. Then, a rumbling erupted around him. The water in the river was completely lifted. Sora's aero dissipated. He stood in the middle of an empty basin, stark naked with key blade in hand. A wall of fire blazed towards him. Out of it stalked Axel, steaming with anger. Before Sora could escape, Axel disappeared into the wall of flame and reappeared in front of him, grabbing him and hauling him up the waterfall cliffs by his hair. The river water roared as Demyx replaced it in the basin. Then, with Sora in tow, Axel and Demyx returned through the jungle towards the school.

As the brunet struggled against Axel's searing arm, Demyx panted and stumbled. When Sora shrieked for Axel to let go, the man grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him over his shoulder, giving Demyx a full view of the brunet's bare backside. The blond picked up his pace immediately, watching the sway and lift of Sora's ass in reverence as the boy struggled against Axel's back.

"Hey, Ax, you wanna carry me, too?" Demyx snickered. When Sora pulled Axel's hair, Axel swore and swiveled him around so that he faced Demyx. Demyx sighed in disappointment. When he saw Sora's blushing, grimacing cheeks, he laughed.

"Where are my clothes?" Sora sobbed. "Let me go! Kairi gave me Naminé's charm! I left it-"

"We have it at school, Sora, don't worry that cute little butt of yours," Demyx announced with a wink. Sora was too disoriented to hear. Instead he wept that something was in the bottom of the river that he needed to retrieve. Then he gasped in fright.

"Axel," he begged. "Please don't tell Xemnas what I did. He'll- he'll never let me-"

"I'd be willing to keep my mouth shut, too, Sora," Demyx chirped behind. Then he winked and stuck out his tongue. "If we arrange a bit of reciprocity."

"I'll do whatever you want," Sora gasped down Axel's back.

"Coolio!" Demyx replied. "You play an instrument?"

Axel swiveled around and advanced on Demyx, hissing for him to return to the school. When Demyx's eyes trailed between Sora's caramel thighs, Axel slapped him in the face. Demyx wailed at the ensuing burn, cowering back. Before Axel could advance further, he opened a portal of darkness, slipped through, and was gone. Axel and Sora hung in the middle of the jungle alone for a glimmer of a moment. Then, Axel groaned, hitched Sora up, and continued, struggling in silence until they reached the temple near the burger joint. When Sora's complaints of Axel burning him became too loud to bear, the redhead threw him down, summoned a chakram, and pointed it at his throat. Sora gasped and silenced, sniffing and glaring though his lip trembled. Axel bared his teeth.

"You said you wanted it like him, didn't you?" he hissed. "If you thought my hand around your waist was a burn, you wouldn't be able to stand a second of what he begged for."

Sora cursed under his breath as he remembered. "I'm sorry I missed our meeting," he warbled. "We can have it right here if you want."

"Here?" Axel scoffed. "In the middle of the road?"

Sora's eyes widened as he stuttered, "w-why not?"

Axel stared him through. When he leant down and crept towards Sora's chest, Sora gasped and scrambled back. Axel's eyes widened. Then they narrowed in derision as he laughed.

"Oh, little baby boy," he cooed as he shook his head. "You had no idea, did you? I should have known you were making statements about things you knew nothing about. Did Reno give you a couple key words to say in your meeting in the hopes that they'd stick?"

"No!" Sora wept, letting the tears tumble over his trembling lower lip unabashed. "I- I came up with everything myself! I knew what I was saying!"

Sora squeaked in fright as Axel parted his thighs and wrenched himself between, cowering with arms spread before him in protection. His ear prickled as the man bent near his face.

"Don't you ever, ever _dare_ wheedle information out of me by offering something you don't understand. Because someday you might find yourself in a position you can't cry yourself out of."

Sora wailed and covered his face in his hands, chest heaving up and down with each sob. Axel used his shoulder to hoist himself up, casting cure as he stalked away.

"You're just going to leave me alone with that thing in the river after me?" Sora screeched.

"Yup," Axel chirped ahead. "Welcome to 'two weeks later,' baby boy, where you'll be out in the big bad world fighting things like that all on your own."

"I will?" Sora gulped, realizing only now how serious a responsibility he was being given. The moment he turned back to the river, Axel commanded him to think twice.

"I've put a seal over that river basin," he warned, "you set one foot on those stones and you're fighting my absent silhouette. And I promise he's a lot less polite than I am."

"But I dropped something in the water!" Sora wailed. "It's important to me!"

"Well that is just too damn bad," Axel lamented. Soon Sora was left alone, naked, shivering, and wondering what he would do next. He still felt the sting of Axel's fingers on his thighs. When he thought of how vicious the silhouette would be, he winced. Would Xemnas grow suspicious if he was out of bed any longer? With a wail of defeat, he crossed his arms over his front and trudged towards the school, wincing as the soles of his feet hit thorny beetles and stickers along the roadside.

~X~

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 **A/N: What the fuck just happened, huh? I hope you all can understand where this story's overarching events are going. The memory pods are going to play a much bigger role than they did in the games. Please hit me up with questions or concerns in the reviews if you have them!** **Follow, fav, review!**


	36. Machinations

**A/N: R12, Kairi is a mixture of desperation, talent, and** **naïvety right now- a jackpot combo for the Organization! (hehehe...) The Council of Foretellers will come in much later.**

 **Guest, O.O Sora's gonna have a hard time for a while. I mean, doesn't every writer enjoy torturing their characters a little? (no? okay T.T) but Sora just makes it so darn easy! Unlike last year, where the bad guys were people Sora hated (except for Riku, maybe) this year the bad guys are people he forms close bonds to. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just leave it at that... Just think of Sora like a phoenix... things have gotta get a lil' toasty for him to rise from the ashes! Oof, there's so much crazy stuff coming... I hope it'll have you all gasping!**

 **PS, get ready for AU mumbo jumbo this chapter. The nature of the heartless is very different in this story than in game.**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Thirty Six_**

~X~

"Sora Nomura, I want you to tell me exactly what happened the night you jumped into the waterhole under the summit."

Sora blinked at Reno with innocence.

"What?" he asked. Reno chuckled as he swung back and forth in his office chair.

"As far as Axel told me, you were fishing for a goldfish and caught a bull shark."

"I wasn't fishing."

"I know, Sora," Reno sighed. "Attempt at a joke, ignore it. He said you were looking for something important."

"Do you know what that thing was?" peeped Sora. Reno reeled in confusion.

"No," he said, "that's why I'm asking you."

"I mean the big grey thing with the boneless... arms," Sora blubbered, gesticulating by flailing his hands. Reno stared him down in amusement. Then he said that it was a Twilight Thorn.

"Uh... a who ha?" Sora blurted. "It didn't look like a flower to me..."

"Nah, nah, Sora, it's not a plant," Reno responded. "It's a Nobody."

"Well, I'd say it was a pretty big somebody for being a nobody," Sora snorted in remembrance. Reno rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Alright, Sora, let me do you a favor. Let's think back to your vision quest, okay? What were those pesky little creatures you kept having to fight to save the universe?"

"Uh... space chiggers?" Sora deadpanned.

"Gonna say a hard no to that," Reno chirped in reply. "Let's try that other pesky creature that came in every shape and size, black shiny body, yellow eyes..."

"Spiders," Sora beamed.

"Heartless, Sora," Reno said flatly. Sora clapped his hand to his forehead and gasped.

"Oh yeah!" he sighed. Then his face dulled in oblivion. "What about 'em?"

"Okay, so bear with me," Reno started, holding up a stray piece of paper and pointing to it. "This piece of paper is a person, human being, homo sapiens, got it?"

"Yep," Sora nodded.

"And my hand is the power of darkness," he added, wiggling his fingertips at Sora's nose to make him laugh. Then he ripped the piece of paper in half. Sora narrowed his eyes as he tried following. Reno held up one half of the paper, scribbling pencil over it.

"Heartless," he said. Then he held up the plain half of paper. "Nobody," he said.

"And what's the pencil?" Sora asked.

"What?"

"Paper is human, hand is darkness-"

" _Power_ of darkness-"

"-Power of darkness, half sheet is heartless, plain half is nobody, pencil is...?"

"Well," Reno faltered, wetting his lips before landing on, "the pencil is the _mark_ of darkness-"

"But I thought the pencil lead was the mark of darkness-"

"Then it's the marker of darkness-"

"But I thought your hand was the-"

"You know what, Sora?" Reno stuttered, "forget the pencil, the pencil is Houdini's magic hands, you can't... It was just a pencil!" he cried, holding up the paper and gesticulating in one swift journey, "homo sapiens, power of darkness, tear in half, heartless, nobody, got it?"

"Uh huh..." Sora said slowly. Reno scowled and rolled his eyes.

"In the dream universe Naminé called _Kingdom Hearts,_ which ties together your vision quest with the vision quests of Ventus, Kairi, Riku, etc, when darkness takes over a person's heart, the person gets split in two. Their heart becomes a Heartless, and if they're strong enough, their body and soul become a Nobody."

"O-oh," Sora whispered. "But I don't remember any nobodies being in my vision quest."

"That's cause they weren't," Reno chirped. "But they were in someone else's."

Sora blinked at Reno in befuddlement. Reno seemed giddy with goading. Sora sighed that he did not understand. Reno chuckled. Puckered his lips. Gaped them out. Brought his teeth together. Separated them. Brought them together again. Then he winked. Sora huffed in consternation, repeating the motions. When he realized he was mouthing a name, he gasped.

"Roxas?" he whispered. Reno nodded.

"Now, Sora," he started. "Imagine our administration's surprise when a creature Roxas dreamed up in his vacay-en-pod rips out of a dark boil at the bottom of a river and attacks _you_ in real life. You following me?"

"No," Sora announced. Reno rubbed his temple with his thumb and forefinger.

"Sora, they're called Nobodies because they were never supposed to exist," he explained. "We made them up. Literally- it's like if you drew a doll on a piece of paper and it was sitting on your dresser the next morning, wouldn't that freak you out?"

"So the dark boil led to a dream world?" Sora tried. But Reno shook his head.

"No, Sora," he whispered. "That dark boil lead to a pod world. Roxas' pod world."

"But- Roxas isn't in a pod," Sora said. Reno shrugged, murmuring that Roxas wasn't around for them to know.

"But all the pods are here, at the Academy," Sora insisted. "They're in the basement, right?"

"We're counting right now," Reno said. "But between you and me? I wouldn't be surprised if a few come up missing."

"So... someone stole a pod and trapped Roxas inside it?" Sora gasped. Reno snapped his fingers with glee.

"Bingo, Sora!" he cried. "Think about it. Roxas leaves on a mission, everyone and their mother disappears, then Soddy leaves, Naminé leaves, and DiZ leaves."

"And Naminé is a certified memory pod technician!" Sora gasped. "But why would Naminé and DiZ keep Roxas in a pod? They were professors here, right? Don't they like Roxas? What's he got that they want?"

Reno cocked his head and bit his lip. Then he sighed and murmured, "Sora. Think about it. Roxas is the son of the man who arrested Naminé's boyfriend and sentenced him to death, the man connected to two of the most powerful research and development corporations in the universe. Soddy knows where Riku is, and DiZ's a freaking genius weirdo. Who's to say Naminé didn't get desperate and shack up with them to go against the Organization?"

"But why are Soddy and DiZ going against the Organization?" Sora asked. "And what does Roxas have to do with any of that?"

"Sora!" Reno groaned. "Roxas is a student. Xemnas is his headmaster. Eraqus was his dad. It's all the machinations of fate. And as to why those two bozos would use memory pods to go against the most powerful organization in the world? Think of it this way: If a glass egg can make monsters real and teleport people like Riku across galaxies, think of what people like DiZ could do with them- what people like Soddy could do with them."

Sora worked through everything in his head, eyes widening when he remembered the way Maleficent had mass produced heartless in his dream quest. Imagining creatures like that being real, tangible, and under the beck and call of Soddy, was terrifying.

"Do you..." Sora gulped. "Do you think they'd hurt Roxas?"

Reno blinked and shrugged. "I don't know, Sora," he murmured. "I'd have to know every detail about the night you jumped into that waterhole."

Sora bit his lip in hesitation. Then, nodding, he began.

"After the plan of action meeting on Tuesday," he coughed, "I was wondering about Kairi's story about finding Naminé's good luck charm in the Besaid Sea. I- I dropped it a couple weeks before-"

"How did you drop it, Sora?" Reno asked. "When did you get her charm in the first place? Kairi said it belonged to the replica."

"Naminé sent me a letter a week or two after she disappeared," Sora swallowed in ill ease. "She attached the charm and told me to look after it. I kept it in my pocket all the time. Then, one day when I was walking past the waterfall with Soddy, I took my clothes off and jumped in. I stayed under too long, so Soddy jumped in after me and pulled me out. Then, he held my clothes and walked me to the old temple so I could dry off."

"Wait, wait, wait... you walked naked, with Soddy, all the way from the waterhole to the temple?" Reno confirmed. Sora blushed but nodded. Reno indicated for him to continue.

"When my clothes dried off I put them back on and Soddy got me ice cream in town. When we went back to the school I realized the charm was missing. I thought maybe it fell out of my pocket as I was jumping into the river. If I can't find it, it means Soddy found it and sent it through a portal of darkness to Kairi as a trap or something. She seems to think he gave it to Riku to give to her, even though Riku would never shack up with an asshole like that, and he'd ten times out of ten contact _me_ before Kairi, after all our years of friendship-"

"Whoa, hold up, Sora," Reno paused with scrunched brows. "So you're telling me you received a letter and a piece of evidence from a fugitive, kept it for a couple weeks, _lost_ said piece of evidence, and _still_ never told your superiors where it came from in the first place?"

Sora stared at Reno expressionlessly, before shrugging and gulping. Reno sucked in a deep breath and pushed it through gritted teeth, shaking his head and muttering gibberish to himself. "I don't like it, Sora," he sighed. "I really don't like it."

"Like what?" Sora breathed.

"The way this makes you look. Honestly? It makes you look like you're in cahoots with the people who may have kidnapped Roxas."

"No," Sora gasped, leaning forward in horror.

"It makes you look like you're not fit to search for Soddy. Frankly, it doesn't even make you look fit to leave this world."

"No!" Sora begged, tears welling in his eyes again. "I- I can go! I swear! I was just keeping it because I didn't think it was important, I didn't know she was a fugitive yet, I just-"

"When did you realize she was a fugitive, Sora?"

"When I got the list-"

"That was the first day back! You've had weeks-"

"I know, but it was private!" Sora shouted. "I liked her a lot, and it meant a lot to me that she'd give me something that precious for safekeeping. I know I lost it-"

"But if Soddy _did_ pick it up and give it back to her, and now it's somehow in Kairi's hands, that means Goldilocks turned right around and gave it to someone else-"

"But Soddy could have tricked her-"

"Sora, Soddy and DiZ could be torturing Roxas for information as we speak," Reno snapped. "If that letter or charm had fingerprints or marks tying it to a specific world, we would have caught them by now. As it stands, the Besaid Sea has probably wiped every bit of foreign fiber clean away."

"I still have the letter," Sora gulped. Reno closed his eyes and sighed, nodding and murmuring that Sora needed to turn it in immediately. For a moment Sora stared towards his bent form in terror. When he reached out his hand, Reno relinquished his. Then he blew out through his lips.

"And I can't believe you let the guy walk you around a secluded jungle naked, Sora, Minerva," he whispered. "You know what some of the teachers are like around here?"

"Axel left me lying in the road naked," Sora hissed. "Demyx offered to teach me an instrument as payment for him keeping my fight with the Twilight Thorn quiet to Xemnas."

"Well, fuck, Sora!" Reno barked. "If you'd told me immediately I could have gotten you out of trouble, and we could have made official reports against Axel and Demyx! As it stands now, if you want to find anyone outside this world's border, you can't do a damn thing but follow my every command!"

"Sure," Sora nodded with vigor. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll do whatever anyone wants, I- I'd even almost die! You can have whatever you want from me, Reno," he begged, reaching forward and grabbing either side of Reno's face. The redhead reeled back in shock, chuckling and pushing Sora's hands down, holding them both in his own, near his chest. Then, biting his lip, he let the brunet go and rummaged around the his desk side drawer. He pulled out an envelope marked "Sora Nomura: Group D," and let it fall before him.

"Group D?" Sora muttered to himself as he snatched it up, struggling to remember if he had been given group D at the beginning of the year. As far as he remembered, Soddy was part of group E. Sure enough, when he tore through the top of the envelope and unfolded the packet lying inside, the heading read, _GROUP D: AQUA HOLLAND, TERRA DOHRING, VENTUS ERAQUS, KING MICKEY I._

Sora's heart beat hard with the hope that something had been typed wrong. Right after his botched meeting on Tuesday, he had met with Xemnas, written a formal apology to the faculty and his fellow students, agreed to increased counseling sessions with Reno, gotten hundred percents on his last few pop quizzes in every class including his gummi ship license, and drafted an entirely rewritten plan of action with the help of Reno, Aerith, Yuffie, Leon, Hercules, and a host of other people. As far as he was concerned, he had performed impeccably. Soddy was his for the taking. When he read further down the packet's second page, he noticed a chart with team assignments, contact information, supervising teachers, home worlds, and partners. When he reached his own assignment, _Sora Nomura and Yoshiya Kiryu: Mickey Mouse I, overseen by Xemnas Nimoy I,_ he set the paper in his lap, closed his eyes, and set his face in his palm. He breathed in a deep breath. Then he began crying in silence, his shoulders shaking as he wept. Reno pursed his lips as he watched him, reaching out to rub his shoulder the same way he always did. Before Sora knew it, he was leaning against the front of Reno's desk with the red head at his side rubbing his back in circles and ruffling up his hair with his free hand. When Sora crawled into his lap and embraced him, Reno wrapped him up and settled his chin overtop his head, stroking his shaking arms with a sigh.

"I know, buddy," he whispered. "I know it's hard."

"I- I- I failed h-him," Sora stuttered through sobs. "I- I f-f-failed e-everyone." After gulping, he let out a badly held mewl, choking and sniveling with each breath as snot and salt water pooled along his upper lip. When Reno reached for a handkerchief and rubbed it over Sora's face, the brunet winced and snuggled closer, trying to quiet himself down.

"I know this is hard for you, Sora," Reno whispered. "I know you and I have talked about sticking Soddy for a long time. But I think, in light of the information you've just given me about your relationship with him... I think it's better this way. I think it's better you let someone else deal with him. You got too close. He almost got you. And I don't want that to happen again."

"But that means I- I'm just w-weak," Sora sobbed. "I- I'm even weaker than Kairi, I- I'm just like a little girl."

"Sora, you gotta get out of your head that Kairi is weaker than you," Reno warned. "I know misogyny and homophobia were dishes du jour on Destiny Islands, but you've got to leave that part of yourself behind. It's clouding your judgement. It's stunting your relationships, making you think you can sort out everything on your own, and it's also making you think the ladies in your life are all innocent angels."

"W-what?" Sora hiccuped against Reno's shirt.

"What if Kairi is a hero in the making, huh?" Reno asked. "What if Aqua was a bad guy in training? Hell, what if Naminé's a bad guy? Remember what she did to you during the summer? Well, she's probably doing the same thing with Roxas right now, and you fell for her good luck charm spiel because she's pretty and pale and sweet."

"But- but she's-"

"Sora, I'm not saying she's bad," Reno insisted. "I'm just telling you to think things through. For your friends' sake and for your own. Organization Thirteen and Shinra are not companies you want to get on the wrong side of- and you are getting there, Sora. I want you to be surveilled just as much as you do- meaning not-at-all. I don't want you ending up tortured in a pod because of a crush or a martyr complex."

"O-okay," Sora sniffed, hugging Reno tighter and hoping he was right. When he tried taking a deep breath, it came out as another sob.

"I've just been losing so much," he wept. "I don't want to lose anymore."

"Then don't lose me," Reno cooed. "And for god's sake don't lose Kairi. Now, _there's_ a hero if I ever saw one: honest, straightforward, hardworking- and most importantly? Willing to work with the people who matter."

Sora sniffled and rubbed his cheek against Reno's button down, garnering another pet to the head that made him roll his eyes shut and bite back the migraine creeping from behind his ears to the bottom of his jaw.

"Sora," the man above whispered. "You have got to treat me like a compadre. I tell you everything I know, yet you hide things from me. You cannot take on Soddy or any of these fugitives all by yourself. You've got to learn to work in a team."

"What if the team's full of people you don't like?" growled Sora. Reno snorted and chuckled that that was the beauty of the professional world. "And because I'm your compadre," he added, "I'll do you one better."

"What are you going to do?" Sora whispered into Reno's downturned chin. Reno grinned and patted Sora's shoulder.

"I'm going to enlist Axel in a little bro on bro scheming to get you out of trouble with Xemnas."

"Really?" Sora cried with joy. Reno beamed and winked. "Sure am. You just give me that charm and letter ASAP. Heck, I'll even add Demyx into the mix for good measure. Force him to keep your summit dive on the down low in my own special way."

"Oh, Reno!" Sora wailed. Then he popped up and grinned. "What do you want in return? Just say anything."

Reno looked at Sora with an intriguing longing, continuing to stroke up and down his back in rhythmic circles. Then he groaned and pushed the boy away, saying that all he wanted was his honesty.

"And maybe you can keep pestering Axel," he added. "You really frazzled him Tuesday night."

"He knew I was wheedling information out of him," Sora responded. "He said if I did it again he'd make me sorry."

"He will not," Reno snapped in return. "Not if Shinra has anything to say about it." Then he softened. "Maybe you were a little too forward," he cooed. "Axel's a slippery creature. Remember what I said a couple weeks ago about him being a muggy cave? He's a creepy crawly- slithers beneath the ground and slices you up when you least expect it. All you've got to do is strike him when the iron is hot."

"I don't know how to do that, Reno," Sora breathed in dejection. But Reno grinned and said that he'd help Sora along.

"For now, I need to write a report on our meeting," he concluded. "And if I were you, I'd write a long letter of apology to Xemnas for forgetting to turn in that evidence. Follow this prompt, and come back tomorrow so we can edit it together. The last thing we want is Xemnas stopping you from getting on your gummi ship come Monday morning."

"Gummi ship?" Sora squeaked with glee. "I get my own ship?"

"Don't get too excited, Sora," Reno warned. "Let's get your apologies sorted out first. Once you finish that, we can read through that packet of yours together."

Sora nodded and kissed Reno on the cheek without thinking. Then, gripping the report like a guiding light, he charged back to his empty dorm room and catapulted inside, locking the door behind him and giggling as he skimmed through his paperwork. When he had done reading, he tore around for Naminé's letter and charm and settled them carefully in a zip lock bag he had used for lunch a few days ago, emptying the crumbs on the floor before he settled the prized evidence in their place. Then, swiping up Roxas' iPod, he switched to one of his favorite Alicia Keys songs and opened the door again, ducking back to Reno's office with a skip in his step and determination in his eye.

~X~

Sora stood in front of the dorm bathroom mirrors with his heart beating so hard he could feel it swaying his chest. Once he steadied himself, closed his eyes, and looked again, he grinned.

He was wearing the outfit he had bought with his first paycheck as an Organization Thirteen intern last summer. Same moisture protection boxer briefs, same knee length chaps, same sneakers, double thigh packs, short sleeved hoodie, fingerless gloves, and the same silver charm necklace he had had since he was five. He had even gotten a touch up haircut so he would look his best. After one last look and salute to his reflection, he giggled and dashed back to his room, shaking as he checked his luggage. He decided he would purchase a backpack off world, maybe Twilight Town since Hayner, Olette, and Pence seemed to wear cool stuff. Other than that he had packed Joshua's purse, Roxas' iPod, his swimsuit, water bottle, parasol, toiletry bag, and a small collection of workout attire from Zell, the local running shop, Hercules, Leon, Terra, and even, though he would never admit it, Soddy. The binder holding every document concerning his mission, including his assignment and contact sheet, diary on the Organization, and a brochure of intraworld shopping, eating, and health destinations, lay with the digital tablet and pen he would use to send all his school assignments along with his updated Jiminy Journal to Xemnas, on top of it. He picked the electronic up with glee and opened the page holding his "interactive syllabus," where he could check off every supply he needed to bring with him on his journey. Once he had double checked everything, he scrambled up and confirmed the time on Argento's stopwatch, clasped around his wrist. He still had twenty minutes. As he glanced out the window, saying goodbye to the clouds, peaks, and sparkling ocean below, a knock sounded at his door. Accompanying it was an announcement of, "yoohoo, future love of your life, speaking!"

 _Joshua,_ Sora groaned to himself, trudging towards and opening the door. Joshua slinked in immediately, slipping his hands in the pockets of his baggy grey, bootcut jeans and dragging his white creepers around the carpet as he inspected it.

"I am so excited!" he bubbled to cut the silence, flashing a mischievous smile. "Seems like only yesterday you were turning up late to class because you didn't have a stopwatch."

"Yeah," Sora grumbled, failing to remind Joshua that he had offered to be Sora's stopwatch. "Are you almost ready?" he asked. Joshua shrugged and murmured, "more or less."

"Great!" Sora breathed, shoving his binder and tablet into his duffel bag, zipping it up, dropping Argento's watch in one of his thigh packs, and trundling towards the door. Joshua blew a breath through his lips in disinterest behind him, moving out first so that Sora could lock his dorm door behind him. Before he shut it for good, he checked to see if he had forgotten anything.

"Windows locked?" Joshua offered. Sora nodded.

"Clothes put away?"

Another nod.

"Preliminary report handed in? Dirty laundry taken down? Bed made? Jaws Junior packed?"

"What?" Sora snapped. Joshua cocked his head to the side in expectation.

"Come on, Sora," he said. "You can't forget Jaws Junior."

"I stopped using Jaws Junior ages ago!" Sora snapped with pride as he scrambled his things together. Joshua sighed and said that life got lonely in space.

"Of course, if you want to cuddle, I'll always be available," he winked. Sora wrinkled his nose, bit his lip, and took one last look into his dorm. Perhaps having Jaws Junior as a protection device would do him good. With a scowl he stomped over, tore the stuffed shark from his bed, and rammed it into the bottom of his duffel bag, until it was invisible beneath his socks and underwear. He slammed and locked the door in a huff, a bemused Joshua watching his every stride. Sora waited as Joshua hauled a rollaway out of his own room. Once everything was finished, Sora glanced at his watch again. "Twelve minutes," he gulped.

"Looks like it's about time," Joshua cooed. "Wouldn't want to be late on our first day."

Sora beamed and burst through the exit stairwell, not bothering to listen if Joshua was behind him. He was too excited to see what a real gummi ship looked like. The one he had practiced for his license in was just an interactive box of metal that floated under a whirlwind Xaldin created with his lances.

Soon the pair was waltzing into the great hall, where a buffet had been set up for breakfast. The now familiar lightning spheres with the angry red numbering floated around counting down the time. Eight minutes and two seconds. Sora grinned and set his duffel bag under his assigned seat, skipping over to the food and heaping a plastic plate with everything he could get his hands on. Joshua swept up half a plain bagel and picked at it like a bird. Sora wrinkled his nose aghast, stuffing a whole donut in his mouth. When he felt a tap on his shoulder, he spun around and choked in fright. After regaining control of his esophagus, he gasped for breath and gulped the rest of his donut down. Kairi stood before him in the combat ready version of her casual pink dress, replete with shoulder, elbow, and knee pads and peach pink half gloves the same shape as Sora's. She still wore her lavender converses with the laces tied around her ankles.

"Um..." she started hesitantly. Then, defeated, she dug in her pocket and pulled out her thalassa shell charm. When Sora saw it outstretched in her palm, he furrowed his brows in confusion. Kairi rolled her eyes. A hint of a blush speckled her cheeks.

"It's not just a good luck charm," she snapped. "It's a way finder. Aqua told me."

"Aqua?" Sora started in confusion.

"The idea came from Destiny Islands- good luck to travelers, yada yada. It's an unbreakable connection. Aqua welded hers. This one's crude, but... it's made the traditional way. I made it for you, and even though I really don't think you deserve it sometimes..." after a fierce scowl, her face melted into a smile. "I really want to see you again."

"But, Kairi," Sora snorted with furrowed brows, "you will see me again! Really soon."

Something dark passed behind Kairi's eyes. She bit her lip. Then she nodded her head and giggled. "You know me, I worry. I just... be careful out there, Sora. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus thought they were inseparable, too." With that, she nodded, dropped the charm into his palm, and slipped to her own seat. Sora stared after her for several moments in awe. As he glanced down at the charm, he giggled.

"And be sure to bring it back to me," a familiar voice piped up a few rows down. "Or I'll disappear you myself."

Sora grinned and nodded, resolving to clip it to the end of his key blade the first chance he got. When he saw Kairi sit down beside Neku and start chatting with him, he sighed. Several rows down, Nimo huddled beside Shiki, watching Kairi with interest as Shiki attempted making conversation. Sora narrowed his eyes and swiveled around before the silveret could catch him. The seats surrounding filled up. The spheres overhead counted to zero. Then, following the familiar, jarring buzzer, Xemnas stood from the center throne and raised his arms.

"Welcome," he crooned in his deep, resonant voice. "To your first off world assignment as students of the Land of Departure Training Academy."

Applause rose through the ranks. Sora clapped his hands, attempting to mask his excitement. Joshua observed him with pleasure.

"My head wants to take this time to review your syllabi with you, but my heart operates under the illusion that _most_ of you have read it by now..." he said dryly. The rest of the Organization snickered behind him. Sora went beet red from his forehead to his fingertips as he clocked several stares, but he sat ramrod straight and thrust his gaze straight ahead.

"Are they talking about you, Sora?"

"No, Joshua-"

"I think they're looking at you-"

"Josh-"

"Listen carefully," Xemnas intoned, piercing straight through Sora's cheek with his amber gaze. "Several... _developments_ have made themselves apparent since we last met to discuss plans of action."

"Encounters with dark boils and strange creatures unconnected to our natural world by professors and students have made us increasingly watchful. The mysterious, off world infiltration of Shinra's sister operation, Deepground, and the tragic deaths of several of its key members, whom you may remember as teachers from your first semester..."

No one seemed too torn up about the deaths of the Tsviets, so Xemnas continued, "have made us anxious. The disappearance of several of your fellow students has made us angry. Though seemingly unrelated, these strange occurrences have one thing in common. All of them were caused directly or indirectly by the fugitives on your retrieval lists."

Gasps or gulps rung through the audience. Sora furrowed his brows as he listened.

"We will be sending more in depth information concerning these developments through your interactive journals, along with pictures and descriptions of enemies you might face and what weapons are capable of defeating them. _If_ your weapon is ineffective or unideal against these enemies you must report the enemies to your superiors and continue with your retrievals. Students whose weapons _are_ effective in eradicating these new enemies will be given additional assignments and, shall we say, "pop quizzes" to vindicate their usefulness."

 _Son of a nutcracker,_ Sora thought to himself, slumping in his seat with the suspicion that his weapon would be the most effective against whatever new "enemies" the Organization had cooked up.

"As such, gaining 100% completion on all of your reports is crucial. Should you fail to retrieve, that 100% may prove the difference between your ride home, and your continued stay at this institution."

Sora slumped lower. _100% completion?_ Sora had never 100% completed anything until last week, and that had been one of the worst weeks of his life.

"We believe in each and every one of you," Xemnas cooed, gaining a round of nods from the rest of the Organization, "but a hero's task is to shine brighter than the rest. The cut system this semester will be cumulative. Regardless of how safe you think your position in this school is..." When Sora glanced up, Xemnas met his eye and grinned. "The weakest links will be severed."

Sora blinked in fright. Xemnas paused to look at everyone. Then he beamed, clapped his hands, and told everyone to report to their supervising professors. The sound of chattering and cheering erupted as the entirety of the junior class jumped up and moved to their assigned teachers. When Sora slipped his duffel bag over his shoulder, waved to Kairi, Yuffie, Aerith, and Neku, and got Joshua in his sights, he lumbered towards Xemnas. Once the towering man clocked him, he grinned.

"Ah," he cooed as he looked over the two of them. "What a charming pair."

"Thank you, sir!" Joshua chirped, hooking his arm around Sora's elbow. Sora remained silent. Before he knew it, Xemnas was leading them through the storm of students down to the forecourt. One by one, what looked like giant toys made of gelatinous building blocks hovered over the forecourt center. Ladders fell from within, and professors who had offered to fly the ships from the gummi hangar outside of town scrambled after and had the students check the oil, gas, engine, lasers, shields, and any other device that needed last minute inspection. When every other group had lifted off and disappeared into the sky, a final, pointy ended, red and yellow vessel puttered lazily from under the bridge towards the forecourt center, knocking off one of the spires guarding the entrance archway as it trundled along. Joshua and Sora winced as it swerved its way before them. When it screeched to a halt, a rope ladder flung down and Cid Haze wheezed his way to the mosaic tile beneath, wiping his forehead with a greasy hanky once he was all the way down. When he noticed Sora standing before him, he screamed and threw out his arms.

"Sora, my stylish boy!" he cackled. "What did I tell you about roping in the ladies too fast?"

"Well..." Sora tried not to giggle in satisfaction. After giving Cid a big hug, he helped him inspect the gummi ship. The break pads were thin, the cannons looked ancient, the cloaking device was dented, and the paint job was chipping. It was no Ferrari- but it would do the job. Joshua wrinkled his nose as he stepped towards it, glowering at Xemnas when Sora was not watching. Xemnas chuckled and shrugged. Joshua muttered that he would go first, lugging his rollaway up the rope ladder with grim determination.

"Should've packed light, huh?" Sora laughed, gaining another cackle and clap to the back from Cid. Before he could climb up as well, Xemnas caught his shoulder and turned him around. Sora tried not to glare. The man glanced down at him without expression.

"I am aware that you hid Naminé's letter and charm from me, Sora," he cooed. Sora blinked up in horror but kept his mouth shut.

"I would advise you not to cross me again-"

"Reno said-"

"I know what Reno said," Xemnas crooned. "You are lucky to have such a powerful professor vouching for you. But he is not the only one who knows that you are special." With this, Xemnas leaned down so that the shadows of his brows made his orange eyes glow an unearthly shade.

"The lives of many rest solely on your shoulders, key bearer," he cooed. "A mistake may quickly become another fateful goodbye."

"What kind of mistake?" Sora spat. Xemnas chuckled. Then he suggested, "just stay on the beaten track. Shortcuts often turn into traps. Maybe you'll find another Twilight Thorn. And this time, no one will be there to save you."

He patted Sora on the back. Then he told him to go. Sora scowled and stomped to the rope ladder, waving to Cid one more time. Then he ascended.

The first four feet of the gummi ship interior held the majority of its wiring, connective tissue, and at the back, the engines. The next four feet comprised of a musty, blue carpeted crawl space containing a sit down ("sit down" being a generous word for hunch-over) dining area, hot plate, sink, and dish rack, and on the other side of the ladder, the sleeping area: a plump single mattress with two pillows and rolled up sleeping bags. Behind the pillows was a small, circular window. When Sora thought of how Kairi and Neku would be sleeping side by side, a twinge of jealousy pinched him. He shook it off by climbing higher, until he met with Joshua's face at the cockpit entrance.

"I was wondering how soon it would take you to get up here!" Joshua giggled, inches from Sora's lips. Sora gave a breathy chuckle and wheedled past him, sighing in relief as he saw he finally had space to stand. He took a moment to stretch. Then he giggled and dived for the controls, reviewing everything as he moved from one button to the next. Joshua hovered over as he worked.

"Sora, you do know what you're doing, right?" he whispered. Sora nodded as he rubbed the glass covering a DO NOT PRESS button.

"Oh, I know," he breathed. "I know..."

"Then maybe we should lift off," Joshua intoned. "Cid is giving us the signal."

Sora snapped to attention. Down below, Cid waved two glow sticks behind his head. Sora nodded and pulled the ship from park to hyperdrive. Then, sticking out his tongue and scrunching his brows, he curved the ship towards Cid's head. As he did, something screeched and tumbled behind him. When he looked, he saw Joshua plastered against the glass at the cockpit's back. Sora gasped and buckled himself in. Then he waited for Joshua to crawl to his seat and do the same. As the boy massaged his cheek and shoulder, Sora curved the ship upwards. Then, on Cid's signal, he told Joshua to brace himself. Joshua clutched the sides of his seat and shut his eyes. With a cheer, Sora took his foot from the break to the accelerator. Before he knew it his head was slamming against the seat cushion. Fire billowed around them as the ship gained momentum. They tore through the clouds. The sky surrounding changed from periwinkle to navy. Then, with a final pop of atmosphere and screech from Joshua, they burst into space. For a moment they floated, Sora cheering in a hoarse, gleeful voice, Joshua moaning and clutching his stomach.

"Dear gods, Sora," he croaked. "Next time I drive."

"You can act as navigator," Sora sang. "Where to? How far away is Destiny Islands?"

"Sora," Joshua growled. "We're supposed to go to Twilight Town first. Remember what Xemnas said about staying on the beaten track?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sora sighed. "I just thought that maybe if we finished our mission early, we might be able to have a little fun."

"Swimming with dangerous exotic animals in the middle of nowhere is not my idea of 'fun,'" Joshua muttered, turning on and scrolling through his tablet with a sigh. "I've got my own special milestones I want to achieve, and none of them require disregarding directions."

Sora turned back to the galaxy surrounding and sighed in dejection. As he gazed from one star to the next, he tried figuring out which one was home. He decided on the tiny, twinkling one far far right. Then he kissed his fingers and pressed them towards it.

"See you soon, mom," he whispered. "Though you probably won't recognize me when I get home."

A cough rose behind him. Rolling his eyes, he slumped his hands back to the steering wheel as Joshua perked up in the seat beside.

"So I was thinking..." he purred.

"What?" Sora muttered.

"I get super cold at night, and space is super cold, and we've got one mattress, and our sleeping bags can be combined into one big sleeping bag..."

"You want to sleep together?" Sora finished for him. When Joshua giggled madly and kicked him in the back of the seat, he gritted his teeth in irritation.

"Sora!" the blond continued. "You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"You know what I mean, Joshua," Sora snapped. "Besides, if one of us is driving the ship and the other isn't doing anything, they might as well sleep alone. We probably won't see each other at all."

"We will when we get to each world," Joshua cooed. "Unless I'm staying the night with a friend, I'll probably be sleeping on the ship."

"Staying the night with a friend?" Sora barked. "You have friends in each world?"

"I plan to," Joshua said out the corner of his mouth. Sora decided not to let him elaborate. Instead, he snuggled into his seat and switched the ship to autopilot, setting course for Twilight Town. As Joshua listened to music and did homework behind him, Sora scrolled through his Jiminy Journal. If he was going to gain 100% completion, he may as well look over the details now.

 _Heartless_ he read on one page. _Born of the darkness within people's hearts. In the_ Kingdom Hearts _dream quest universe Sora Nomura, Kairi Panettiere, Riku Miyano, Belle de Maurice, Princess Aurora of Enchanted Dominion, Ventus Eraqus, and Roxas Eraqus explored in memory pods during their second semester at the Land of Departure Training Academy, the heartless originated from the Land of Darkness or were created from a machine constructed by Ansem the Wise of Radiant Garden and his apprentices. In our current, natural universe the heartless have begun appearing in tandem with dark boils, most of which act as portals to foreign worlds, including pod worlds._ _An explanation for their occurrence in our natural universe is unavailable, but they began appearing after Riku Miyano's disappearance from his memory pod._ _Only rudimentary heartless,_ Shadows _and_ Neo Shadows _have been sighted thus far, but other species are believed to exist as well._

Beneath this explanation was a tab labeled, _Assignment!_

Sora groaned and clicked on it.

 _Classify all Heartless subspecies and discover their secrets!_

Provided beneath was a Dichotomous Key for "Opponents of the Key blade," written by Dr. Vexen Kando. When Sora read the citation below, he froze.

 _Vol. 1, no. 1, [ ν ] - εγλ 0010, pp. 003- 200. Shinra Publications. Accessed March 5, [ ν ] - εγλ 0010._

Sora could only guess that Organization XIII used the same dating system as Shinra. But if that was so, if the new year was [ ν ] - εγλ 0010, and Vexen published his "Opponents of the Key blade" article during the same year, that meant he would have had to publish it after he was arrested. What kind of prison sentence was he serving if he was still allowed to practice science? Letting it go, Sora skimmed to the entry on Nobodies.

 _Nobodies_ he read. _The body and soul left behind after a strong willed individual loses their heart to darkness. Roxas Eraqus encountered two species during his short dream quest through the_ Kingdom Hearts _universe. One of these species, the Twilight Thorn, was spotted and fought by Sora Nomura in our current, natural universe, after it emerged from a dark boil leading to Roxas' pod world. This dark boil was located on the southwest corner of the Puñalada River Basin beneath the Ykera Waterfall in the Land of Departure._

Another _Assignment!_ tab was labeled beneath.

 _Classify all Nobodies and discover their secrets!_

Sora groaned and shut the tablet off, wondering what other dirty work the Organization would have him do for them. As he checked that the gummi ship was following its correct route, admiring all of its bells and whistles as he glanced, his mind drifted to what Yen Sid had told him at Eraqus' funeral.

 _Meet me on tracks of Twilight._

"Old coot," Sora muttered.

"Hm?" Joshua yawned luxuriously behind him. Before Sora could protest, the blond's curls tumbled over his shoulder as he set his chin against the nape of his neck.

"How's it going?" Joshua cooed.

"Just reading all my assignments," Sora muttered in slight discomfort. Joshua kissed him on the cheek and rubbed his shoulders.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll help you out."

As his curls disappeared, Sora heard Joshua descend the rope ladder and plop onto the mattress below.

"Wanna hear all the professors I've had sex with?" piped an accompanying voice.

"Not right now," Sora sighed glumly. If the old Riku and Kairi had have been on this ship with him, he would have had a blast. The trio probably never would have made it to Twilight Town because they would have goofed off too much. As Sora thought about all the people who were missing and who were important to him, he glanced into the galaxy surrounding and shook his head.

"Guys," he whispered. "Where have you gone?"

The stars twinkled back against a sea of black, begging him to find out.

* * *

 **A/N: Follow, fav, and review! Tell me what you think, what worlds you're excited to see, how you're feeling about the AU mumbo jumbo memory pod stuff, and what you think about Roxas' current situation!**


	37. Twilight Town

**A/N: R12, thank you for another amazing review! I can't wait to continue exploring just how cunning all of Shinra and OrgXIII are... and btw, it's not Nimo Sora's reporting to, but Xemnas! Xemnas' last name is Nimoy, too, so that means he and Nimo (Xehanort Jr) are related... more on that family tree later...**

 **Sora will continue maturing and learning who and who not to trust, but he is honestly SO unequipped to deal with the Org- and he's not the only one. Think of all the people in this story who've disappeared or even died in the same building as them. If you think about it, Sora's naivety might be the only thing keeping him safe at this point. But more on that in chapters to come... and Xemnas will continue to be slowly unpacked, along with others...**

* * *

~X~

 _ **Chapter Thirty Seven**_

~X~

Sora jolted awake and hit his head on the roof above the mattress as the warning lights began going off.

"Sorry, Sora," Joshua called from the cockpit. "Should have warned you we were about to land."

Sora rubbed the sleep from his eyes and scrambled up the rope ladder, throwing a t-shirt over his head as he plopped into his seat. When Joshua saw that he was just in that and a pair of boxer briefs, he snorted, murmuring that he hoped Sora planned on wearing something a little more respectable for the trip down.

"I know, I know," Sora huffed through a blush, clipping himself in and settling back in excitement. He could see the world in question orbiting in front of him, getting bigger and bigger the closer they got. It was bathed in a palette of reds, oranges, and yellows, replete with a massive, twin belled clocktower, an orbiting train track, sprawling forests, beaches, and looming at the world's base, a jutting, purple windowed house. A haze of lavender and brown clouds billowed over the clock tower's left hand side. As Joshua pointed the ship's nose towards the first layer of atmosphere, he asked Sora to describe him good places to eat around town.

"I think it's best if you're not distracted," Sora peeped. Joshua shrugged and sighed. Then he leveled the ship, clicked the "landing" service button, pulled back the throttle, and rammed his foot against the accelerator.

Sora screeched as the gummi ship dove headfirst through the clouds. Joshua hummed as he checked the leveling gauge, chirped into his walkie, fiddled with the trim wheel and continued wrenching the throttle back until the engines puttered and stopped completely. Sora found himself digging in his pocket for Kairi's charm. When he felt it, he scrunched his eyes tight and whimpered.

"Sit tight, Sora, we're turning!" Joshua sang, swerving to the right as if something was flying after him. Sora howled as he was pulled back and forth. When he regained control, he opened his eyes and watched familiar fire burst around the ship's edges. The cockpit began heating up. Joshua snapped for Sora to confirm their landing destination. Sora gulped and scrolled through his tablet. When Joshua swerved again, it flew from his hands and clattered down the cockpit exit into the pipes. As Sora stared behind him, he gulped.

"Um, Joshua?" he whispered.

"What, Sora?"

"I don't know where to land."

"What about your tablet?"

"Well... It's down the ladder."

"Why?!"

"I- I might have dropped it."

"What?" Joshua snapped, taking a glimmer of a moment to peek over his shoulder. "Didn't you clip it into the side of your seat?"

Sora furrowed his brows and checked his seat side. Sure enough, there was a long chain with an empty clip at the end, no doubt waiting to hook around Sora's absent tablet. As he wiped his forehead, he croaked that he forgot.

"Sora!" Joshua shouted. Then he scowled and hissed that the boy would have to look at his.

"Okay!" Sora chirped. When he reached for the tablet and switched it on, he saw that it had a passcode.

"What's your passcode?" he asked. Joshua's face went white.

"Oh, er, well..." he gulped. "Maybe I can type it in..."

"You can't!" Sora barked. "You're driving a freaking space ship!"

"Well you're the one who lost your tablet!" Joshua shrieked. "How far away is it?"

"I can't get it now, I'll be thrown around the cockpit like a billiard ball!" Sora bellowed. Joshua groaned and clapped his hand to his forehead.

"It's..." he began, clearly embarrassed. Then he hissed, "don't judge me!"

"I won't judge you one bit, just give me the password!" Sora begged.

"Fine," Joshua groaned. "It's _Nekus#1fan._ Pound sign followed by the number one, only capitalize N."

"Right," Sora said, typing in the password at light speed. When he finally got up the landing area page, he cheered and screeched that it was a cleared field in the shape of a sheep.

"Fuck, I think that's it!" Joshua screeched.

"Great! Wait, why are we passing it?"

"Because you told me what it was too late!"

Sora scowled and unclipped himself, crawling under Joshua's seatbelt and sitting on top of him. Joshua reeled back in surprise as Sora took the controls himself and began turning the ship around.

"Sora, are you sure you know-"

"I can do this!" Sora cried. "I just need to concentrate."

He stuck out his tongue as he operated the throttle, wheel, and trim wheel at the same time. Soon they were not more than one hundred feet off the ground. The speed of the ship was getting dangerously low. If it did not go faster, it would drop from the sky. Joshua whimpered and clasped himself around Sora's middle. Sora wiped his eyes on the sleeve of Joshua's t-shirt. Then, swerving above the sheep mark, he waited till the ship was close to falling, drew his key blade, hooked Kairi's way finder to its end, and thrust it up, screaming, "zero gravity!" It was an ingenious spell Soddy had taught him, designed to keep airborne anything it touched. But instead of stopping the ship and making it float, it suspended it and lurched it around in sickeningly fast circles above the green. Sora felt something warm and liquid gush down his back. His brain pinged around his skull as he tucked his chin to his chest. In a hoarse voice, he screeched, "slow!" The ship regressed to the speed of a rollercoaster. "Slow!" he called again. He continued until the ship was floating around at a snail's pace ten feet above the ground. When the zero gravity spell finally wore off, the ship slammed into the dirt and Sora felt liquid gush down his back again. With shaking fingers, he cast "cure" on himself and Joshua. Then he opened the packs beneath the driver's seat and got out two panaceas. When he glanced behind him, he grimaced.

Vomit, tears, and snot caked Joshua's face. When he tipped one panacea into the boy's lips, he gulped it down. Sora cast stop over him to keep him from throwing it up. Then he downed one himself and collapsed against Joshua's frozen chest in exhaustion. As he began to feel better and as warmth returned to Joshua's body behind him, the boy hissed for him to get off. Sora unbuckled and stumbled out of the pilot's seat. When Joshua gagged behind him, Sora told him to try keeping the panacea down.

"Shut up, Sora," Joshua snapped. He stifled a sob. Sora gritted his teeth and winced, mumbling an apology as the peroxide blond gulped back a deep breath. By the time he regained the ability to stand, Sora was already fidgeting with the exciting thought of meeting Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He ignored the vomit splatters along the walls as he descended the ladder to find his tablet. It was lodged between two massive pipes near the engines, the screen cracked and hot to the touch. Sora groaned as he looked at it. Then, he climbed back up, opened the cockpit emergency exit, and slid onto fresh grass with a cry of delight.

"Thank you, sweet Minerva," he whispered, kissing the ground and sucking in its scent. For some reason it reminded him of Roxas. A gentle wind gusted over the fields surrounding. When Sora rolled over to examine them, he noticed that they had landed in the middle of a mountain range. Far in the distance loomed a massive, rollercoaster high track. Walled within it were the peaks of houses and Twilight Town's infamous clock tower. Surrounding it looked to be a dense wood. Something trudged to his side. When he glanced up, Joshua's mussed curls blocked out the midday sun.

"Get up and take your clothes off," he snarled. Sora blubbered in confusion.

"But-"

"Get. Up." Joshua intoned. "And take your clothes off. Or I will tell Xemnas about this landing."

Sora was up and naked in record time. When he realized Joshua was nude as well, holding out a bucket at arm's length, he furrowed his brows in confusion. Then he realized the boy had set his dirty clothes in it. Sora dumped in his as well. Joshua made him hold the pail. Then the blond indicated for him to start walking.

"Where are we going?" asked Sora.

"There's a river nearby," Joshua growled. "We're jumping in and scrubbing our clothes off. Then we're filling that bucket with water and soap, and while I sunbathe, you're going to clean the inside of the cockpit."

"Aw..." Sora groaned, receiving a slap to the back of the head.

"Why do we have to be naked?" Sora snapped.

"I don't like vomit dribbling down my front, and I don't like seeing my vomit dribbling down your back, thank you very much," Joshua responded. "If I'm babysitting you, I'm going to do it my way."

"Babysitting-?!"

"And if you want any sort of freedom this semester," Joshua intoned, "We're going to have to work on a scale of give and take."

"Give and take?" Sora breathed in anxiety. Joshua nodded.

"Let's go through the variables, shall we?" he muttered. "A. You are a terrible flier and academic, while I am not. B. You are forgetful, while I am not. C. You are prudish, while I love sex-"

"That's not-" Sora started, but Joshua stopped him.

"D. I am a control freak, while you hate following directions. E. I am realistic, while you are not. F. Your mission is to retrieve King Mickey, while my mission is to make sure you complete it without any distractions."

"You were sent to spy on me?" spat Sora.

"I prefer the term 'supervise,' Sora," Joshua sighed. "'Spy' suggests the target's capability for deception."

"Capability, huh?" Sora muttered to himself, kicking a stray stone out of the way. Unlike the Land of Departure, which seemed to hide some species of hurtful bug or plant at every turn, Twilight Town's plains seemed largely pleasant to walk barefoot around. Of course, the callouses Sora had formed by now rendered his feet practically invincible. Joshua yelped and whined as he stepped on stray stones or ants behind him. Sora could not help but smirk as he sailed along without bother. For being the 'babysitter,' Joshua seemed much less capable, at least when it came to terrain. Perhaps Xemnas should have switched their assignments, or even better, let Sora roam the worlds on his own. When the pair reached the river, he screamed obnoxiously and dived in before Joshua could tell him not to. It was a lot shallower than the one in the Land of Departure. It held no black boils, Twilight Thorns, or absent silhouettes. There were a few hermit crabs and snails squelching or shuffling along, along with several flurries of tadpoles. Otherwise: cool, empty water. Sora blew the creatures kisses as they passed, reveling in the freedoms this new world offered. When he rose up for air and saw two pale legs slipping along rocks on the other side, he grinned and paddled towards them, shaking out his hair as he broke surface.

"Look, I'm a puppy," he grinned as he passed Joshua by, yipping and doggy paddling. When the blond told him not to get him wet, Sora flutter kicked so hard he splashed a gallon's worth of water right into Joshua's face. As the boy shouted for him to kick slower, Sora shrugged and did so, slamming his legs as hard as he could into the river water as he passed by again. Screeching in indignation, Joshua jumped on top of him and pulled him under. Sora gasped in surprise and paddled to the rocks, hoisting himself and Joshua up together. The two splayed themselves against the stones. Joshua groaned and spit out water. Sora enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his chest and the cold river water running past his feet.

"Why don't you get in?" he asked Joshua. Joshua muttered that he couldn't swim.

"Destiny Islanders are practically born swimming," Sora sighed. "My mom had a water birth. I think Tidus' mom did, too. You'd think I'd be as good at breathing under water as him, but I'm not. Kairi's amazing at it, she's like a fish. Riku couldn't swim till he was ten- he was afraid of the water till he saw me getting in. He couldn't stand being worse at something than me." Sora laughed at the thought of it, wondering what it was like when his own father hauled his pregnant mother into the ocean and Sora swam out of her. Kind of gave him the creeps when he pictured it.

"Shibuya's too polluted to swim in," Joshua muttered. "As a world goes, it's kind of falling apart."

"Really?" Sora breathed. Joshua nodded. "It's probably packed with those boils the Organization's been talking about. There's a lot of darkness there. Pretty sure the Galactic Federation has talked about ways of transferring the population somewhere else, that is if there's another world willing to take us all."

"I'm sorry," Sora whispered. "That sounds horrible." Then he beamed and asked Joshua if he wanted to learn how to swim. Joshua glared at him in disgust, but Sora slipped back into the water and sucked in some ammo, squirting at Joshua when he least expected.

"Sora, that's gross!" snapped the blond. "Stop spitting at me!" He was cut off when Sora spit a heavy stream again. Eventually he groaned and waded in, wincing at the cold until Sora paddled up and slipped under him like a dolphin. It took Joshua hours to learn. His sputtering, flailing breast stroke must have been the most ungraceful thing Sora had ever seen. It was twilight by the time they returned to the gummi ship and nightfall by the time Sora had finished cleaning and repairing it. By then, it was hovering six feet above the ground like it was supposed to, a nasty dent left in the sheep shaped field where it had slammed that morning. When Joshua checked the time, he groaned and muttered that they were a day behind.

"Should we just go to sleep, then?" Sora chirped, imagining taking out his sleeping bag, starting a fire, and camping under the stars. It made him giddy with glee. But Joshua seemed less inclined.

"Does that key blade of yours have a flashlight?" he asked. Sora furrowed his brows, murmuring that he could probably summon a little bauble of light if they needed it.

"Good," Joshua sighed. "I can't stand another second in that gummi death trap."

"We should camp outside!" Sora suggested. "We could even put our sleeping bags together if you preferred! Sleep under the stars!"

"What's the age of consent here?" Joshua asked.

"Uh..." Sora started, checking his almost destroyed tablet for information. "Eighteen," he announced. Joshua groaned and asked if that was the legal drinking age, too. "Twenty one," Sora responded. Joshua cursed under his breath.

"Joshua, if we're going to follow Xemnas' directions," Sora goaded, "and you want to let the gummi ship air out, I could open the cockpit and the entry way and we could sleep outside. If there are strange monsters and dark boils off the beaten track, maybe we shouldn't go looking for them at night."

Joshua gave him a foul glance. Sora stared at him in hope. In the end Joshua scowled and said that if they were camping, they had to do it his way.

"Sure!" Sora cried, bounding up and running off to find firewood as Joshua retrieved the sleeping bags. There were only branches that had drifted down the river, bits of old grass, low lying bird nests, and tumble weeds. But Sora got the driest of the lot and heaped them together inside a circle of pebbles and sand, summoning his key blade and positioning it over the most flammable fibers. Then, with confidence he boomed, "fire!" and waited. A putter of smoke burped from his key blade tip. As he waited for something to ignite, a slow clap rose behind him.

"Beautiful job," Joshua said flatly. Sora glanced at his weapon in confusion, muttering that the spells he had cast in the gummi ship had worked just fine.

"Those spells were a fucking disaster," Joshua snapped. "And that first cure didn't work at all. The panacea was what kept me alive."

"But zero gravity and slow worked!" Sora insisted. Scowling, he stood, pointed his key blade up, and shouted, "blizzard!" His key blade became slightly chilly to the touch, but nothing else happened. His mouth dropped. He could not understand. Why did some spells work, but others did not? As realization hit him, his furrowed brows smoothed. Soddy. The spells that worked, he had learned from Soddy. The spells that did not work, he had learned on his vision quest. Collapsing to the ground and clawing through his hair, he tried thinking of another spell Soddy taught him. There was one called "igneous" or something, but he forgot how to cast it or what its purpose had been...

"Maybe we can get some flint or something to ignite..." Joshua started in a mutter behind him. Sora jumped up and gasped.

"That's it!" he cried. Then he positioned his key blade over the fire pit, closed his eyes, and screeched, "ignite!" A scream billowed up behind him. When he turned, he saw Joshua struggling to stamp out a flame that was spreading from the zipper of the first sleeping bag to its fluffy insulation. With a gasp, Sora wrenched the sleeping bag from his arms and threw it into the fire pit. It burst into flames within an instant, roaring and climbing up like a monster above. As Joshua watched it in horror, Sora clapped his hands and beamed. When he turned to Joshua, he winked. "Well!" he sang. "We'll have a nice fire to keep us warm through the night!"

"That's my fucking sleeping bag!" Joshua screeched.

"You can use mine," Sora chirped, padding the ground under his feet. "This patch of grass is real soft. I'll take this area. Just hand me my pillow and we're good."

Joshua snatched Sora's pillow and whacked him upside the head with it. When Sora asked what was the matter with him, Joshua fumed that Sora had promised they camp his way.

"Then what is your way?" Sora cried. Joshua rose his fingers one by one.

"A. I sleep naked. B. I like being warm-"

"Well those seem to kind of defeat the purpose-"

"C. I hate people. D. Yet I dislike being alone..."

"Well, that sucks-"

"So we sleep naked and cuddle without fidgeting," Joshua finished.

"That's ridiculous!" Sora wailed. "I can't do any of those!"

"Well, time to send in Mission Report: Day 1 to Xemnas-"

"Wait, wait," scowled Sora, tearing off his clothes again and throwing them on the inside of the gummi ship. "There," he finished. Joshua smiled in satisfaction as the brunet stomped to the remaining sleeping bag and examined it as though it were a difficult puzzle. When he peeked over his shoulder and caught Joshua's eye, he snapped around, blushed, and gulped. Then, steeling himself, he dived in, curled up, and shut his eyes tight. There was the rustle of clothing being removed. Then, warm, soft skin settled at Sora's side, along with the dull thud of a heartbeat deep below. At first it felt strange having someone's naked body glued to his side. But soon, his eyes began to droop, and he found that it was actually soothing. The crackling fire, the breath of the night, and the starry sky above lulled him deeper and deeper to sleep, until Joshua poked him in the cheek and made him turn around.

"Sora," he whispered, a look of fright painting his lavender eyes. "I can smell the air."

"Oh, come on," Sora groaned, relaxing back into his pillow. "The air smells good."

"It's not supposed to smell," Joshua hissed. "It's just proof that I'm sleeping outside, on dirt, and bugs, and-"

"Then just sleep on me," Sora snapped. Joshua silenced and snuggled his face into Sora's chest, breathing in in satisfaction. Sora froze at the gesture, softening only when Joshua's breathing evened out and a snore whispered through it. When Sora clasped the pale arms against his shoulders tighter around his chest, Joshua chuckled against the nape of his neck. "You smell like the sea," Sora thought he heard him mumble. As he imagined the waves back home, his heart fell. Scrambling, he rubbed his fingertips up and down his own skin, feeling tiny, invisible hairs prickle and tug along his chest. Then he ran his hands through his honey brown hair, tugging and pulling until the nails traced along his cheeks and landed against his upper lips. He sniffed in curiosity, but it was no use. He couldn't smell what Joshua did. Slumping on his side, he traced along Joshua's hands and sniffed at them as sneakily as he could.

What did Roxas smell like? Riku? Kairi? Sora had never bothered to find out. Why had he let those moments slip away? Years of possibilities had sailed over his head without him realizing. Given the chance to do everything over again, would he be brave enough to tell the people he cared for how he really felt? To reach out and _really_ touch them, _really_ make them feel loved as completely as he could? Was that possible for him? As his eyes returned to the stars, he sighed, his irises reflecting their twinkling forms against a sea of sky blue. Joshua's cheek turned into Kairi's, his long hair to Riku's. His cold fingertips turned to Axel's, fingernails painted jet-black. But his breath rung high and close. The thud of his heart thumped like the hull of a familiar, child's boat against a distant pier in waters on the verge of a storm. Did every heart sound like that? Did Roxas'?

Within minutes, Sora was deeply asleep.

~X~

Sora must have been exhausted. The next time he awoke, Joshua was trying to extricate himself from his vice like grip. By the time Sora blinked open both bleary eyes, Joshua had escaped up to the waist. Sora snuggled closer and slurred for him to stop fidgeting. When he was slapped on the head, he cried out and broke away in indignation. Above him, Joshua sat up and stretched. Sora nestled against his thigh and closed his eyes again. A fair hand petting his spiky, chestnut brown hair lulled him off again.

"When I said I liked being warm, I didn't mean sweating to death," Joshua muttered. "You're like a bloody furnace."

"That's what Riku used to say when I slept over," Sora yawned. "I cuddle and sweat in my sleep. But that was the way you wanted it..."

"Thank god we slept naked or I would have been smothered in damp cloth."

"You're welcome..."

"I was the one who came up with it, Sora," Joshua intoned, jiggling Sora's head up and down with his thigh. "Time to get up."

"What?" Sora bleated as the warm body left his side. He whined and held his arms out like a baby when Joshua clambered towards the gummi ship and slipped around its side. As Sora snuggled back to sleep, the blond cried out in delight.

"Sora, I found the shower!" he sang. Sora muttered, "good for you." He did not notice Joshua advancing until the sleeping bag was ripped from under him and a spray of water burst in his face. He screeched and scrambled up, scowling as Joshua laughed at him.

"Joshua, you'll get the sleeping bag wet! Look at my pillow!" he whined, spearing the wet spots with his fingers.

"Come on, Sora, time to start trekking," Joshua sighed. "We won't find the King in the middle of a field."

"How do you know that?" Sora mumbled. When freezing cold water sprayed against his back, he screeched and cowered over. When Joshua held up the shower hose nozzle again, Sora yelped and threw the sleeping bag and pillow into the gummi ship and gathered his clothes. Despite his gusto, he was sprayed in the thighs and ass as he returned down the ladder.

"Joshua, stop!" he whined in a high pitched screech as Joshua cackled.

"I heard rumors from Ventus that you stank during the summer because you never showered," he explained. "So I'm not allowing us to start walking until you wash yourself."

"Personal hygiene is personal, Joshua!" Sora spat in humiliation. "Just because Ventus said that doesn't mean it's true."

"Sora, I've smelled you after a day's workout, and you always reek."

"That's because I don't own antiperspirant!"

"You mean deodorant? You don't even know the layman's term?"

"No, for your information, I didn't bring any!"

"Oh my gods..." Joshua half groaned, half snickered. When Sora cowered away with fists clasped tightly, terrified of being sprayed again, the blond rolled his eyes, held out his hands, and sighed, "come here." Sora hesitated. Then, scowling, he stomped over and glowered in silence through twenty minutes of Joshua scrubbed him down with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and cleanser. When he finished, he patted moisturizer and sunscreen on Sora's face, neck, and chest, caking some sort of mousse in his hair. Then, he raked a deodorant stick under his arms. When he told Sora to get his backpack together, Sora said that he didn't have one.

"Are you serious, Sora?" Joshua groaned. Sora blinked and muttered that he wanted to buy one in town. Joshua rolled his eyes, slipped his backpack from the luggage compartment, and stuffed their tablets and chargers inside along with their school IDs and some clothes he wanted to take to the laundry. When Sora tried putting his wallet in his thigh pack, Joshua slapped his hand and told him to carry the plastic bag with the vomit clothes. Sora wrinkled his nose but did as he was told. After the gummi ship was locked up and made invisible, they put out their fire and pulled out their map. Then, they followed the river that lead to Sunset Terrace and hiked up the stones beneath the train tracks until they made it to a tiny, tiered dam leading down the mountainside.

"Twilight Town is almost entirely run by solar and hydro power," Joshua commented as they passed. "You might want to know that for the pop quiz on Friday."

"The pop quizzes are on the worlds we're going to?" snapped Sora in hoarse reply. "I thought they were going to be about combat or magic!"

"All of the above, Sora," Joshua sighed. "Luckily, you're staring at a very smart man. I'll help you pass if you do what you're told."

Sora set his jaw and trudged on, fully realizing how cleverly Xemnas had paired him up. As Joshua waltzed around the locals asking for directions to Market Street, Sora scrolled through his Jiminy Journal to see what assignments he could get out of the way. There was a swath of supplementary assignments, including a treasure hunt, a puzzle hunt, absent silhouette quizzes, data battles, item synthesis milestones, coliseum tournaments, and gummi missions for defensive driving checkups. There was also a blank report called "Bestiary," where Sora could use the dichotomous key Vexen published to classify all the creatures he met on his travels. All of this was in addition to handing in normal classwork. When Sora became lost in the doom of everything due, Joshua grabbed him by the arm and lugged him forward, reminding him that he had an entire semester to finish everything. Sora muttered that he would rather get the random crap out of the way as soon as possible. After spending three hours hunting around Sunset Terrace and tramping illegally through the broken subway lines, they made it to the train station and chugged along to Central Station, passing under the clock tower as they went. Once they stopped Sora sprung from the train car and roared through the sliding glass doors onto a sprawling circular patio overlooking Market Street and the Tram Common. Once Joshua was at his side, they walked down Station Heights and gazed around the shops, stopping to do odd jobs for a bit of extra cash. Sora bought a backpack like he said he would. Joshua made him buy school supplies, moisturizer, deodorant, and cleanser, too. Once both were sorted, they continued their treasure and puzzle hunt and searched for the king. They met Rai and Fuu in the Sandlot. Both asked begrudgingly how Seifer was doing at the Academy. When Sora asked Joshua if they could visit Hayner and his gang, Joshua said, "if time allows." Sora scowled and vowed to meet them for dinner. When they trudged past a hole in the Tram Common wall that lead into the woods, Sora stopped and pursed his lips. Joshua hung close to ask what was wrong. Sora shrugged.

"I just have a feeling," he whispered. Without thinking he crawled through the hole and under the dark canopies. Soon, Joshua was behind him.

"Let's split up and look for clues," Sora whispered, wondering if a Twilight Thorn would jump out at him if he wandered off. Joshua's face looked ghostly under the scattered twilight as he murmured "okay." They chose a place and a time to meet again. Then they parted. The Organization had given them special vials and machines with tubular slots lining their sides for sending DNA samples back and forth. They had also handed out forensic flashlights with different wavelengths. Sora clicked his on and scanned it along the ground as he trudged back and forth. Every time the ground rose, he approached a clearing and swerved back into darkness. When a minuscule spot lit up on an old tree, he used a Q tip to scrape it off, bottling it and clicking it into the DNA sender. Several steps later, he trudged over a centimeter long snag of black material caked in mud. The rest of the forest seemed clear of anything at all. Shrugging, he bottled the second piece of evidence and moved on, climbing another hill. Just when he started to think he was circling something, a familiar screech pierced the air. The moment he heard it, he broke into a run.

Up and up he charged until the pines emptied behind him and he stumbled onto the clearing he had circled for the past three hours. On his left side was a massive iron gate guarding a red brick mansion. On the other end of the clearing stood Joshua, terrified. At the clearing's center towered a man in a black leather cloak, holding a key blade with a blinking, teal eye at its center. Sora gasped and lurched back as he caught sight of it. Then he gritted his teeth.

"Soddy," he hissed. The hooded figure swiveled around and stumbled back. Hesitating back and forth, it charged past Joshua and knocked him to the ground. Sora groped after the fiend as it disappeared into the woods, roaring for Joshua to follow. Before the boy could stop him Sora was crawling through the wall again, dodging or guarding every spell Soddy shot behind him. Joshua's voice rung in his ear as the boy attempted keeping up with him. But Sora and his prey were much faster. Soon they had charged from the tram common up Market Street. As Soddy catapulted himself forward using dark portals, Sora tried hitting him with a 'slow' spell. Instead, he blasted a man pulling a cart through the center of the street. Sora had to dig his key blade into the ground to keep from crashing headfirst into the cargo heaping its top.

"Heeeyyyyyy," the man pushing it groaned. "Waaaattttccchhhh wwhhheeeerrrreee yyyyooouuu'rrreeeee gggoooiiinnnggggggg..."

"Son of a nutcracker," Sora snarled, kicking himself for not practicing better aim in addition to magical stamina. Instead of staying to argue, he bounded over the cart and continued to the station. He scrambled towards the patio before the clock tower just as Joshua's voice railed up the street behind him.

"Sora!" the blond shrieked. "Stop! This is not your mission! Let him go!"

Sora whipped around the patio in fury, peeking over the cliffside, through the station's glass doors, and around the plants in anxious bounds. When the clock overhead tolled five and Joshua charged up the patio steps to meet him, he gasped and pointed to the train tracks.

"He's getting on a train!" he snapped. "I just know it!"

"Sora, if Ansem can open up dark portals, why the hell did he waste his time running all the way to the station to buy a train ticket?" Joshua shouted. "How do you know we haven't just walked into a-"

Before he could speak, a giant, thin handled sword thrust right through the patio center between Sora's feet.

"Trap," Joshua finished in dejection. The sword transformed into a grey, winged creature similar to the Twilight Thorn Sora had fought in the Land of Departure. As it transformed, hordes of similar creatures, along with humanoid versions, summoned from the empty air surrounding.

"Nuggets," Sora grunted, summoning his key blade and wiping the sweat from his eyes.

"Joshua," he warned, "if I ignite you by accident... I'm sorry."

"Sora, if you use that fucking spell without knowing who you're going to hit, I'll kill you myself!" Joshua roared. Sora decided to lay off the magic for the time being, opting to use brute force instead. He picked off the creatures one by one, taking mental pictures of each one's quirks and tactics to write in his Bestiary. But when the creatures continued multiplying and his strength began to drain, the worry that he would never get the chance to write in his Jiminy Journal at all made him gulp.

"Sora, they're multiplying too fast," Joshua cried. "We've got to escape!"

"But if we leave them here, they may hurt the townspeople," Sora insisted.

"Sora, if you care at all for your grade, you will..."

Some instinct inspired Joshua to glance up before he finished. When he did, his eyes widened in shock. As Sora finished off another mystery monster, he glanced up as well. When he saw what Joshua saw, he gasped.

"King Mickey?" he squeaked.

The mouse stood, in a black leather coat like Soddy wore, on the edge of the clock tower roof. After surveying the ground below, he bounded through the air, flipped, and dived down key blade first. As Joshua screeched for him to pull back, Sora cheered and called that they had completed their mission. Before he could address the king, though, the mouse landed square in the patio center, sending a shockwave that sliced through every monster within fifty feet and blew Sora and Joshua through the air. As Sora landed on the train station's front steps in a heap, the king pointed to Joshua's groaning, crumpled form and called, "sleep!" Immediately, Joshua's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he slumped over. When a snore erupted from his throat, the king turned to Sora and cast cure. The boy stood in awe. When he tried dashing to Joshua's side, the king indicated for him to stop. Sora stumbled in confusion. Before he could speak, Mickey rose a single gloved finger to his snout and mouthed "shh!" Sora cocked his head to the side, fumbling as the King threw him the key blade he never knew had left his arms.

"Better keep that safe, Sora," the king winked. "Riku taught ya better, didn't he?"

"What?" Sora said in befuddlement. But the king flipped his hand for him to go.

"Hurry, Sora!" he pleaded. "Board the ghost train, the purple one in the station! Meet with Yen Sid. He'll tell you what to do next."

"But, Mickey, you're-" Sora started, clasping his blade to his chest. Ahead, the mouse clapped his hand to his forehead.

"Oh, jiminy crickets!" he chuckled. "I forgot I'm supposed to be kidnapping you."

Before Sora knew it, he was hit with the strongest impulse to snooze he had ever gotten. Soon he was dreaming about surfing with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, and seeing faces of people he knew in the waves as he passed beneath their glowing boughs. Then he was chasing Riku through pinewoods and camping under firelight with Kairi. Then he was floating through outer space, reaching out in vain, waving to the planets as he passed their cold forms by.

~X~

When Sora woke up, he was sitting in Yen Sid's office. It held the same desk, skull candle, book shelves, and star shaped windows as the one he had used in the Land of Departure, but this time, the view outside the glass was a field of orange clouds. He groaned, stretched, and stood, stumbling forward and running his hands against the wax caking the skull candle's scalp. After, he shuffled to the first, moon shaped cutout in the wall and leaned against it, watching the clouds as they sailed by. Every once in a while, he thought he saw the peak of a building or green hill, as if Twilight Town hung far, far below. Was this a dream? As he reached out to touch the pane, a strong hand pulled back his shoulder. Sora screeched and tumbled around, summoning his key blade and whipping it back and forth. As Yen Sid's wide eyes and perpetually angry brows reeled back in greeting, he clutched his heart and rumbled for Sora to stand down. Sora shivered through gusting breaths, eyes staring madly as though Soddy or King Mickey would bound at him at any moment. When Yen Sid touched him again, he yipped. Then, deciding that the old man posed no threat, he relaxed and relinquished, leaning against the wall and groaning in exhaustion. Yen Sid chuckled above him. When Sora looked up again, the retired master was sitting behind his desk with a massive, ancient book sprawled before him. As Sora stepped towards the inverted script, he furrowed his brows.

"Master Yen Sid?" he whispered. "Why are you reading that book upside down?"

"It is not for my eyes, Sora," the old man murmured. "But for yours."

"Oh," Sora fumbled, slipping forward to look through it himself. After he got through the first page, he scowled, muttering that it would take forever to read the whole thing. Yen Sid stared at him. Sora shut his mouth and continued, mouthing the words as he went.

"How is school?" Yen Sid crooned.

"Fine," Sora mumbled. "Xemnas is headmaster. Everything's gone to crap. Usual."

"Hm," Yen Sid rumbled. "Yet you are here, doing...?"

"Hunting for King Mickey."

"Ah..." Yen Sid whispered, pressing his fingertips together over his chest. "It seems that in retiring, I unwittingly took half of the faculty with me."

"Do you know where any of them are, master?" Sora asked.

"I hear news of them now and then," Yen Sid said cryptically. "Rumors through the grapevine."

"Well..." Sora started. When he tried pushing the book Yen Sid had set before him away, the man glowered and coughed deep in his throat. Sora took up the text again, speaking as he scanned.

"It's really important that I find them because each journey gives rise to chance encounters, bah buh..."

"Do they?" Yen Sid rumbled in amusement. Sora blushed and muttered that he had just read that out loud by accident.

When he skimmed to a sentence reading, _a sad farewell, hanging in that "world between,"_ he paused. Then, reading on, he said out loud, "gaze anew at your steps... the reason is mere existence. Still, memories can be believed... entrust your body to the soothing waves of your memories..." as he thought it over, his brows furrowed. He closed the book and glanced towards Yen Sid. The man smiled at him.

"Master..." Sora whispered. "I don't get it."

"How does it make you feel?" Yen Sid murmured. "What images come to mind?"

"I don't know... the reason is mere existence... I just get a feeling of... calm. Like, the details don't matter?"

"Questions," Yen Sid offered ominously. "The inane, labyrinthine hunt for the unconquerable. The compartmentalization, categorization, and organization of life. A research company attempting to uncover the monster they have created through "memory pod" experiments... dark pustules pulsating throughout the body of the universe, oozing purulence in the form of creatures with ashen skin and yellow eyes, scabbing with grey clothed monsters like the Twilight Thorn you eradicated in the Land of Departure."

"You know about that?" Sora whispered. Yen Sid nodded. "This universe is sick. Sickened due to a laceration Riku tore through the fabric of space when he escaped his memory pod to a different world. It sickens further with each day Roxas remains in limbo."

"Roxas?" Sora breathed. But Yen Sid did not hear him.

"The virus is age old," he snapped. "When did it start, and why? These questions consume..."

"Uh... come again?" Sora blubbered.

"Have you ever asked yourself how a key blade chooses its master?" Yen Sid inquired. "Why friends fall away? Why the things you desire the most disappear right before your grasp? Why the people we love hurt us so deeply?"

"Yeah," Sora whispered.

"The answer is existence," Yen Sid growled. "Sometimes... you must gaze anew at your steps, and walk on."

"There's always tomorrow," Sora gasped. Yen Sid shrugged and muttered, "I suppose."

"Is that the wrong answer?" Sora gulped.

"Oh, I don't know," Yen Sid sighed. For a moment he closed his eyes, lost in the blissful caress of some past memory. He chuckled, reeling back as if sharing a joke with a long lost friend. When silence deafened and he snapped up again, his brows furrowed with a wanting glower.

"What were we talking about, young man?"

"Your book," Sora blubbered. "I didn't get it."

"Oh, that was just a poem I wrote," Yen Sid grumbled. "Do you like it? I'm rather new to the game."

"It's pretty good," Sora stumbled with a shrug. "Kind of metaphorical for my liking."

"It is not metaphorical at all," Yen Sid snapped. "It is frightfully literal."

"Oh... nuggets," Sora ceded. Yen Sid massaged his forehead. "You have been tasked with retrieving Mickey, I presume?"

"Yeah," Sora sighed. Yen Sid huffed.

"You will fail."

"Thanks for the support, Master."

"I cannot help you. In retiring I have taken a vow of neutrality. It is no good to exert myself at this age. But if you would like to do an old man a favor, look after Riku. I am rather fond of the boy."

"Riku?" Sora gasped, jumping up from his seat. "Where is he, Yen Sid? How can I protect him if I don't know where he is?"

"Well, you would know better than anyone else," Yen Sid chuckled. "You chased him all the way to the train station, did you not?"

"But that wasn't Riku!" Sora snapped. "That was Soddy, er, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness! He stole Riku's key blade!"

"Oh, did he?" Yen Sid mused. "Did Ansem steal Riku's key blade, or did Riku steal Ansem's mask?"

Sora blinked in oblivion.

"Consider it, Sora," Yen Sid murmured. "Mull it over as you finish your semester. Joshua is a smart boy. He will help you pass with flying colors."

"Did you have Mickey cast a sleeping spell on him to stop him from coming here and spying on me?" Sora asked. Yen Sid gave a hearty gasp.

"What? I would never partake in such a ghastly deed!" he snapped. "Mickey is a dangerous fugitive. If he dropped you outside my door, I can only surmise it was because he is losing the screws holding his head in place. Send my apologies to Xemnas. In fact, let me write you a doctor's note."

Yen Sid tore a blank page from the back of his poetry book and scribbled, "sorry for keeping Sora," on the back of it. Then he folded it and spirited it on a buoy of wind into the boy's jacket pocket. "You have a spell to fix a tablet, too?" Sora grinned.

"No, I do not," Yen Sid said flatly. Sora's smile wiped off as he muttered apologies.

"I will forgive your transgression as long as you take the magical upgrade given to you for your birthday last summer," Yen Sid murmured. "And your casting is appalling. You may stay in my basement and practice with the brooms for the rest of the day. Then you will return to Twilight Town and dine with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Rumor has it they're livid you haven't visited them yet."

Sora blushed and acquiesced. When he asked which way to go for a magical upgrade, the massive double doors on the right side of Yen Sid's office opened to reveal three fairies dressed in green, blue, and pink. When they saw Sora, they reeled in surprise.

"Well, well, well..." said the one in pink. " _This_ is the outfit we will be, em... _upgrading_?"

"If only you'd come sooner!" the one in green crooned. "We would have loved for you to visit us at our store in the Land of Departure before we, well... _relocated._ "

"If he'd come earlier, we could have tailored him a different suit!" bubbled the blue clothed one. "What a _terrible-_ " when the one in pink elbowed her in the side, she finished, "I mean, uh, what a terribly _stylish_ choice of... thing."

"Just upgrade it, please," Yen Sid sighed. The fairies gibbered and nodded. Then, together, they tapped their wands against Sora's head. He felt a shiver run through him as his clothing prickled along his skin. When he grinned down at it, it seemed the same as always.

"So..." he asked. "What just happened?"

"You will find out when you need it," Yen Sid grinned. The fairies giggled behind him. Something buzzed over the double doors behind them.

"Oh, another client!" they chirped. "Let's get the mirrors ready!" With that, they were gone.

Sora pierced Yen Sid with a stare of deep confusion. The master picked at his nails. When he realized Sora was still in front of him, he asked if one of the fairies had cast him with a stunning charm.

"No," Sora insisted, shuffling from foot to foot in hesitance as he remembered what Aqua had told him last semester. "I've just... I've just been thinking about something for a long time..."

"Yes?" Yen Sid goaded. Sora wet his lips. Then he asked if Yen Sid was gay. Yen Sid blinked at him in shock.

"I know it's inappropriate to ask a guy your age..."

"I am ageless."

"Uh, okay, but..."

"But I am."

"You... you are? Gay?" Sora breathed. Yen Sid nodded, folding his hands in front of him as he closed his eyes.

"But... why haven't you ever had a partner?" Sora whispered.

"I did." Yen Sid murmured. "A very long time ago."

"Oh..." Sora breathed. "Well... did he... die?"

"Yes," Yen Sid said. "He did."

"Oh," Sora whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"It was one of the questions that drove me to write that poem you read," the old man rumbled. "My own personal, unconquerable battle. Why cannot some of us stomach who we are? How can one so strong endure a life blinded by a lie? Did I, perhaps, in my hope, lie to myself, in wishing he would abandon deception and stand by my side? The path to dawn is, after all, tread by so few."

"Uh huh," Sora whispered. When the silence became deafening, he cleared his throat and murmured, "well... thanks for the upgrade, Yen Sid. I'm, uh... going to practice a little magic now."

As he attempted leaving, Yen Sid cleared his throat. When Sora turned, the man was standing with his back to him, staring out of his moon shaped window on the twilit clouds below.

"Despite the duty to tread forward," he worded, "Memories bite at our heels when left in the darkness of silence. I learned that too late. But you and those you hold dear still have time. The deepest cracks plague those who appear strongest. If that is not the virus infecting our universe today, it will be the vice that destroys it tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Yen Sid," Sora whispered. "I'll fight the darkness as best as I can."

"Do not fear the darkness, Sora," Yen Sid returned gently. "You must love it as you love your light. Nurture it. Congratulate it. Face it. Trust it. The light in you is a map home. Your darkness is its shelter. You are yourself with it, not in spite of it. If you fear it, it will swallow you. If you embrace it, it will weep in your arms, bathed in the care it so rightfully deserves."

Sora blinked at the man in stupor. Then, resolving to think about what he said later, he burst from his office and raced down the stairs, wondering in vain what the man could have meant.

~X~

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please follow, fav, and review to make this story better!**


	38. The Land of Dragons

**A/N: Crazywill, hello! Thank you for your review! Yes, updates have slowed down because of my work schedule, but also... I'm a perfectionist and tbh, these next ten or so chapters have been a BEAR to edit because of their complexity, and because SO much of the rest of the** **story depends on them. Believe it or not, this installment is winding WAY down. I really hope to finish it by Christmas, but Sora's going to do a little world visiting first... Hope you guys liked the Land of Dragons...**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Thirty Eight_**

~X~

After wiling the day away in Yen Sid's basement dodging anthropomorphic brooms with buckets of water, Sora boarded the ghost train and returned to Central Station. As soon as he crossed through the glass double doors to the patio, he met Hayner and Pence. Olette was apparently lounging in the trio's Usual Spot with Kairi, Neku, and Joshua. The moment Sora heard she was around, the exhaustion clinging his limbs disappeared. Everyone gathered in the local soul food bistro on Market Street, Sora telling the story of how he and Joshua had chased Soddy to the train station before being attacked by King Mickey and saved by Yen Sid. Joshua seemed particularly interested, due to the fact that he had been asleep for the entire episode. Hayner's gang had found him five hours earlier, sprawled on the Central Station steps as they prepared to ride to the beach. He was forced to endure two hours on the details of struggle competitions from Hayner before Kairi and Neku saved him. After dinner, Olette begged everyone to go to the premier of some movie about a kid falling in love with his father's doctorate student. After that, everyone went clubbing. Though they were underage, Hayner snagged some liquor from his mother's pantry for pregame. Sora reached a level of intoxication comparable to the night on Avenida, only this time, save for Joshua, he was surrounded by people he trusted. When Neku offered to take suggestions to the DJ, he asked for 'Formation,' "in honor of Ari." But when the opening bars began, he found he barely had the strength to stand. As he wrenched on a plastic smile and bounced up and down on his heels, screeching the lyrics until he couldn't feel the tug of the lump in his throat anymore, Olette stumbled up and whispered in the DJ's ear. The woman smiled. Then, she took her microphone in hand.

"Who likes Sufjan Stevens?" she called. There was understandable silence. When Olette screamed at the top of her lungs, Sora and company joined in. The rest of the club glanced towards them in suspicious irritation. But the DJ clapped and called out, "this one goes out to all you weirdos who watched that movie premier tonight, including me!"

There was scattered laughter. Then, the lights took on an unearthly blue glint, the disco ball drilled into the ceiling center spiraled like moonlight across dark waves, and the melody of one of the best songs from the movie sailed across the speakers. Sora moved from Neku and Joshua to Pence, Hayner, and Olette in manic glee. When he found himself standing before Kairi, he jolted to a stop. His smile wiped from his face. Kairi's did as well. Their hands jumbled and bumped like puzzle pieces trying to figure out how they fit. Kairi's hair glowed purple, her face turquoise. Her eyes sparkled a deep, iridescent blue, little fireflies hidden in beach grass. Before Sora could reach out to touch her arm, Hayner grabbed him around the shoulder and pointed towards the bar. Everyone "ooed" as Joshua disappeared towards the stools with an attractive older man, peeking and giggling at him like schoolchildren for the next two hours. It was three in the morning by the time everyone was kicked out. Sora, Kairi, Neku, Olette, Hayner, and Joshua all stayed the night at Pence's. At five, just as the sun began rising, Hayner led anyone who felt like going to the top of the clock tower to see it come up. As he dozed in the stairway door, Sora and Kairi watched the dawn in silence, blisteringly awake for having endured two exhausting days of travel in a row.

When Sora told her what Yen Sid had said about darkness, being in love, and the man Sora had chased to the train station being Riku despite moving and fighting like Soddy, Kairi pursed her lips and pondered in silence. When Sora asked if she was any closer to catching him, she shook her head. Changing the subject, she asked if Yen Sid's fairies had given him an upgrade, too. After Sora gasped and stuttered in shock, Kairi told Sora that she had visited the old master the day before.

"I gave Neku the slip in the tram common," she giggled. "Then I played dumb when I got back and told him I'd been exploring the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town."

"Twilight Town has seven wonders?" Sora deadpanned. Kairi threw back her head and laughed, nodding that it did, and that they were as boring as they sounded. Sora smiled as he watched her.

"Did you catch any more dark boils?" Kairi coughed. Sora hesitated. Then, slumping, he shook his head. When he asked Kairi if she had found any, she nodded, saying there was one in Yen Sid's basement and another under the train tracks at the railway station.

"Neku and I snuck in at night," she explained. "A little dark cloud spun around and possessed the train cars. Gods, it was a mess..."

Sora tried masking his envy as Kairi spoke about defeating her first "boss" heartless. When she offered to swap bestiaries with him so he could copy her notes, he grinned in weak acquiescence and brought out his broken tablet. For the next thirty minutes, Kairi did his homework as Sora stared at the ground far beneath his feet. When Hayner snorted and mumbled in his sleep beside them, wincing unconsciously at the sun peeking over the horizon, Kairi snickered and shook her head.

"I guess that's what being a normal teenager looks like," she sighed. Sora chuckled and shrugged. When Kairi caught his eye, he whipped away, curled into himself, and set his cheek on his palm. For a moment Kairi stared. Then, returning his tablet, she pursed her lips and clasped her hands.

"Sora?" she whispered. Sora glanced up.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Sora's brows furrowed as he reeled back. Snorting, he murmured, "why wouldn't I be?"

Kairi shrugged and stared at her feet. "I don't know." She whispered. "Sometimes, being at this school, with everything... I don't feel okay."

Sora blinked at her, frozen. The breeze blew her fringe into her face. When he reached out and swished it away, Kairi blinked in surprise and stared at him again. What felt like a thousand years passed. Then, Sora stared away. Soon after, Kairi did the same. Eventually Hayner awoke and returned them to his house. After sleeping in for another five hours, everyone ate breakfast, wished each other tearful goodbyes, and trekked to their gummi ships by noon. Now, as Sora fought sleep below while Joshua piloted the vessel to their next location, his mind returned to Yen Sid. He should have been reviewing what the old man told him about his darkness, but all he could think about was the story about his old lover. The lyrics of the song Olette had requested in the club, the way Kairi had looked beneath the sparkling, turquoise club lighting, and the feeling of her shoulder on his as they watched the sunrise returned to his heart along with a deep well of regret. He should have told her he loved her. Just like he should have told Naminé. Roxas. Riku. Ari. His mother. His father, so many years back the pain felt dull as a distant storm.

"Sora, Sora, Sora," he whispered, imagining he was someone else, and that Sora was above him, pinning him down with confidence. As blood rushed between his legs, Joshua called down to ask if he was alright. Sora jumped and hit his head off the ceiling, croaking up the ladder that he was fine.

"Mind still on that movie?" Joshua chirped. "I thought it was a little vanilla."

"Hm," Sora sighed, rubbing the bags under his eyes. He crawled to the ladder and clambered to Joshua's side, staring at the map on the tablet before him in curiosity.

"Poignant reflection on the many faces of love, though," Joshua murmured. "The title of the song Olette requested in the club was appropriate." When Sora failed to respond, Joshua peeped at him with narrowed eyes.

"Who's your Elio, Sora?" he asked. Sora slumped into the passenger seat, fiddling around his tablet to see if there were any games on it. But he only had his assignments and his Jiminy Journal.

"You know that assignment for Journalism?" he evaded. "I'm trying to come up with a project that will satisfy as many classes as possible."

"Roxas loves dancing," Joshua returned. Sora stifled a choke and slumped lower, snuggling into his shirt collar to hide his bushing indignation. "How's dancing connected to interworld languages and technology?" he grumbled. Joshua shrugged. "Language is communication. Talk about how different cultures communicate and adapt through dance."

"That sounds advanced," Sora muttered.

"Write your preliminary report," Joshua continued. "Then learn a bunch of dances. You'll have every major project done, and you can impress Kairi, Roxas, or whoever else you want to fuck whenever he gets found."

"Joshua, stop!" Sora snapped. After several minutes of pouting, though, he narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.

"How do you know Roxas likes dancing?" he asked. Joshua looked over his shoulder in satisfaction, cooing that it was an educated guess. Sora's eyes dilated as he cocked his head like a puppy. Joshua giggled in remembrance, sighing that he'd gotten to know the blond during their first and second year.

"From the first day of school, I locked on," he explained. "We hooked up probably ten times."

"You, buh, be..." Sora stuttered in horror. "You mean hook up as in..."

Joshua stared at him without expression, waiting for Sora to finish the sentence. When Sora stalled, the peroxide blond raised an eyebrow in goading. "Sex?" he said without apology. Sora winced and gulped, nodding. Joshua nodded in return, adding, "yeah, we fucked quite a bit."

"O-oh gods," Sora squeaked, gasping, "when?"

"When did we have sex?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Till after this year's drag show."

"O-oh," Sora gulped, crushed. So Roxas was honest when he said he had fucked multiple people while kissing Sora. Groping through an emotional cesspit, the brunet asked in a croak why Joshua had stopped seeing him.

"You mean like dating, Sora?" Joshua snorted. Before Sora could respond, the blond shook his head and curled his lip, muttering, "as far as I know, Roxas doesn't 'date.' And I let him go because it was pulling me down a dark path."

"Oh?" Sora breathed. There was silence. Joshua furrowed his brows, pulling his pursed lips back and forth over his teeth. Then, he chirped, "Roxas exists in this weird dichotomy between superiority and subservience. He always has to feel like he's doing you a favor because you need his help or you need him, never because he needs or wants you. That's why he clamped onto you. Your whole existence screams, 'put a collar on me and I'll be your puppy.'"

Sora silenced in shock, unable to say or even think a thing. When Joshua saw his expression, he snorted and rolled his eyes as if to say 'come on, now.' Then, he continued, "so the first time we fucked, I let him top, and it was one of the most tender experiences of my life. He looked _after_ me. And then every once in a while we'd run into each other and it would happen again. But I'm a total dom, so the damsel sub act was getting really old," he scoffed. "It didn't help that I had this growing feeling it was all an ego boost for him, because I couldn't complain. Bedding Roxas was a total ego boost for me, too. But he courts that, Sora. He works very hard to keep this air of untouchability around him, like seeing him in any human capacity is this privilege granted by the gods."

"Well-" Sora tried protesting, but Joshua pinned him with a goading stare that made him shrink.

"How often did you see him eat? Sleep? Practice? Do his homework? Taking a fucking shit?"

"I-"

"Hear about him fucking someone? Hear about someone fucking _him?_ Occasionally? Never? Exactly," Joshua sang, forefinger up in gesticulation. "Because Roxas is perfect. Roxas never asks a favor of anyone. Roxas is always cool and in control, even when he's not. And I know he spun out of control mid semester, because after the drag show he came to me and asked if I could top _him_." When he saw Sora's expression, his eyes twinkled.

"I know, right?" he whispered as Sora gaped. "He was crying. Saying he needed some tenderness. So I comforted him. We both agreed to meet after an hour and I cleaned myself the fuck up. I felt like I'd hit the jackpot. And then..." Joshua trailed off with a scowl.

"What?" Sora goaded. Joshua sniffed and shrugged.

"He was a monster," he murmured. "Ice cold. Never even made eye contact with me. Looked pissed off and bored from the moment I opened my door. Every time I spoke or touched him, he cringed as if he were disgusted. Did he want a rim job? No. Kissing? No. Licking? No. Blow job? Sure, whatever. Silent the entire fucking time. Didn't want to be caressed. Before I penetrated him I asked if he even wanted to be in the room. He said if he wanted an argument instead of a fuck he would've dated me. I was furious. I mean, this is _me_ we're talking about. I know I'm good. So I go in and start nice and slow, and I _know_ he's heating up, I can see it. And then he wants me to go harder. So I go harder until his dick starts falling and I slow down until he feels good again, but no. He wants it _harder_ and _harder_ until I'm pumping his fucking brains out and his teeth are wailing they're grinding so hard. Even then, it's not good enough. And for the rest of the month I'm in limbo until I hear he's moved onto Vanitas. Then I understand," he whispered, eyes glimmering as if the realization had just dawned on him that moment. "He didn't want tenderness. He wanted it beat out of him."

Before Sora could open his mouth, Joshua chuckled in bitterness, shaking his head as he sighed, "when he feels low... he gets someone to kick him back to the top."

"That's not," Sora whispered, "none of that is the Roxas I know."

"Oh, yeah?" Joshua chirped. "So you don't believe me?"

Sora faltered, picking through his next words with care. "He..." he started with a swallow. "Roxas never made me feel... like I was..."

"A puppy who needed house training?" Joshua offered in a coo, trying to ruffle Sora's hair. When Sora shied away, the blond froze and sharpened.

"He never made me feel... subordinate..."

"Oh really." Joshua said, furrowing his brows in mock thought. "Wasn't he always 'teaching' you something?"

"Uh..."

"Who was in charge of all your interactions?"

"Well..."

"When he kissed you, who was the one taking their clothes off?"

"Well, I..." Sora started, faltering.

"Gets you wondering, doesn't it?" Joshua warned. "But don't let my horror story scare you away. You have a very strong light, like a kind of 'welcome home' mat. Roxas relishes giving and you're a natural receiver, so you never know, you might strike gold."

"Receiver?" Sora hissed, reeling back and wrinkling his nose. "If you're going to put a label on me, at least pick one. Am I a stray, a receiver, or a 'welcome home' mat?"

"Sora, you're taking this completely the wrong way," Joshua said flatly, turning away. But Sora stood and blocked his view. After checking that autopilot was on, Joshua met his eye with a lazy stare.

"I think I get it, now," Sora whispered. "Are you saying I'm a _slave_ in my daily life? Wait a- are you assuming I'm the, the _girl_ of the relationship?"

"What?" Joshua snapped. "What the hell does that even mean? I just mean that in life, you're a receiver. You like people pampering you, helping you, and doing things for you. You're drawn to it! You're like a puppy following its master for pets!"

"I'm not a dog!" Sora cried. "I'm my own master and I decide everything for myself!"

"Sora," Joshua scoffed. "I can't name a single decision you've made on your own. Someone is always telling you what to do, and you're always listening."

"That's just cause I value the professionals in my life!"

"But you have such a strong inferiority complex. What a wild juxtaposition..."

"You know what, Joshua?" Sora spat. "If I do everything everyone tells me to do, why am I here? I should be back on Destiny Islands crying about how stupid and useless I am- but I'm _not_ , you wanna know why? Because I'm a hero. I know I'm a hero, because everything I do, I do for my friends. And if I've become a 'receiver' or whatever the nut you want to call me, then that's just because out here, I never know who to trust!"

"Sora, that's not even what I mean-"

"No one's gonna fuck me-!"

"Sora, calm down," Joshua sighed. "Bottoming doesn't make you a 'woman,' or whatever you think it does. It just means you enjoy receiving pleasure in a different way than some men. Take tops, for example. Good ones are rare because the best balance their own pleasure with their partner's-"

"Well, isn't that what couples do?" Sora railed. "Balance each other out? Do equal work? What you're talking about doesn't sound equal at all! I don't even know what the nut-"

"I'm not saying you're a girl, or a slave, or whatever, Sora, and I'm not saying you like being penetrated either, though I'm sure-"

"You're not sure of anything-"

"It's not my fault that you're a total child in every capacity-"

"I'm not a child!" Sora shrieked at the top of his lungs, balling his hands into fists, shutting his eyes tight, widening his mouth, and stomping his foot on the carpet as hard as he could. When he relaxed and blinked his gaze up again, his shoulders sagged in embarrassment. Joshua stared at him through raised eyebrows and a dull glance. Then, shooting out his palm in a slicing gesture, he said, "fine, Sora. Forget I said anything." Before he could turn to pilot the ship again, he added, "and tops can be immature, too. So if the bottom lifestyle doesn't suit you and you feel like learning how to top like a real man, just ask."

"I don't need your help for anything!" Sora snarled a little more passionately than he had intended. Blind with indignation and shame, he stumbled around the cockpit blubbering and muttering to himself. When Joshua said he was distracting his driving, Sora tore down the rope ladder with his broken tablet and snuggled under the single remaining sleeping bag, typing, "sex top," into the search engine. This just brought up a bunch of porn videos. He scowled and typed in "bisexual top," which brought up a very strange thread of comments concerning a married man's curiosity about sexual preferences in other bisexual men.

 _I was with a woman in missionary, while a man enjoyed me from behind,_ one commenter said. _It was divine!_

Suddenly Sora's mind snapped to an image of himself clutching onto Kairi with Roxas draped over his back. He slapped himself to make it go away.

"Now that is just completely un-gentlemanlike," he muttered.

"What's un-gentlemanlike?" Joshua drawled from above.

"Nothing," Sora spat, scrolling further. The deeper he dove, the more boggled he became. Checking over his shoulder, he typed in "gay top." Slathering the results were articles on "are you a top or bottom?" along with stereotypes associated with each label. As Sora feared, "effeminate" and "submissive" swarmed the bottom qualities. When these keywords brought him to an article called, "how to spot a twink," with a near carbon copy of himself in the thumbnail picture, he nearly wet himself.

"Do I have a high voice?" he called up the ladder, trying to deepen it a little.

"No, Sora, I think your voice is maturing nicely," Joshua sighed.

Sora sat up in satisfaction. Then he flexed his arms. He could do better. Deflating, he wondered if the next world on their list had some kind of protein powder. As he scrolled again, he realized that for researching all these sex labels, he did not even know what sex _looked_ like. Blushing and glancing over his shoulder for the umpteenth time, he took a deep breath and typed in "what sex looks like." Then, bracing himself, he waited for the results to pop up. He reeled at some of the thumbnail images. When his finger hovered over the first one, an image of a woman with her legs spread and a man's penis awkwardly curved inside her so that the audience could get a full view, a giggle rose uncomfortably close to his ear. When he turned and saw Joshua's shining face inches from his own, Sora screeched and nearly catapulted into space through the window behind.

"I-I thought you were piloting the freaking gummi ship!" he wailed, burrowing under the sleeping bag covers. Joshua cackled above him.

"Oh, relax, Sora, it's on autopilot. If we get anywhere near a meteor or foreign body, a warning light and buzzer will go off."

"I feel very uncomfortable knowing that no one is in the cockpit," Sora croaked, slipping around Joshua and clambering up the ladder.

"And I feel very uncomfortable inhabiting a space ship with a kid who doesn't know what sex looks like," Joshua tried to say seriously, breaking into a snort before he could finish. Sora scowled in humiliation, savaging his way to the pilot seat, plopping down, and centering all his attention on the route to the Land of Dragons. Soon Joshua traipsed up behind him and set his chin on the boy's shoulder. Sora decided ignoring him would be more mature than shrugging him off.

"Sora," the blond's voice whispered, "if you want to know what sex looks like-"

"I am not having sex with you, Joshua," Sora interjected. "I'm saving myself."

"Oh, Minerva, you're not one of _those_ guys, are you?" Joshua groaned. Sora shrugged and cooed that maybe he was. Conflicting images of Kairi, Riku, and Roxas returned to his mind again, along with the ridiculous arguments he and Riku used to have about paopu fruit back on the islands. Was Kairi waiting for the right one, too?

"But I wasn't asking for sex, anyway," Joshua sighed over his thoughts. "I was just going to ask if you wanted a demonstration of what sex looks like externally."

"And how is that any different from having actual sex?" Sora barked. "Is there another person in this avionic vehicle who's going to join in, or something?"

"No, Sora, just... just come here," Joshua insisted. Sora's curiosity got the better of him. He padded over one step at a time, kneeling down at Joshua's side. Joshua backed away and told him to lay down, prop himself up with his elbows, and spread his legs. Sora blanched and blushed at the same time.

"Come again?" he squeaked.

"Do this," Joshua said, demonstrating. Sora nodded and copied him. When Joshua crawled between his legs, Sora snapped for him to quit the funny business. Joshua tried not to laugh.

"Sora, if it helps you, let's treat this as if we're doing a judo position."

"Judo?" Sora asked. He struggled to remember what judo was.

"It's a martial arts form, Sora," Joshua murmured. "Didn't you learn a martial art in first year when you didn't have a key blade?"

"Uh... no," Sora gulped. "I just practiced with a rod on my own."

"Oh," Joshua scoffed. "Well, then... forget it." He pushed Sora's knees apart and snuggled between his thighs. Immediately, Sora's penis poked up in his shorts. When Joshua saw the tenting fabric, he "awed." Sora scrambled away and fiddled with his pants, slipping his budding erection into his waist band just in case it decided to rise any higher. Joshua was still railing about how cute he was by the time he got back, making him rancorous. When he jammed himself on the cockpit floor and slumped his knees to his sides, Joshua chuckled and scooted between again.

"Now imagine this," he explained, cupping the fingers of his left hand into a point. "This is my penis," he indicated. Then he pinched the thumb and forefinger of his right hand in a circle. "This is your sphincter, the ring of muscle controlling what goes in and out of your asshole."

"Uh huh," Sora croaked, fidgeting in ill ease. As Joshua pushed his left cupped palm through the ring he had made with the thumb and forefinger of his right, Sora's eyes widened to the size of billiard balls. "The penis is going in. Now, picture that image, and I am slowly going to press against you."

"Oh gods," Sora croaked, blinking up the cockpit glass as if it would be the last thing he ever saw. Joshua tapped his cheek to get him to pay attention. Sora nodded and glanced down, wiping the sweat from his brow. Joshua set his palms on either side of Sora's hips. Then, he rolled his hips forward and tapped Sora's backside. Sora giggled without helping it. Joshua grinned.

"See? Totally weird, right?" he said. Sora nodded and split into a grin again. Joshua leaned on his right palm and rose his left hand. With it, he pointed an inch above where Sora's penis started. "That's kind of where your bladder is, okay?" he intoned. Then his finger hovered a centimeter above where Sora's penis met his balls. "This should be where your prostate is, but it's different for everyone. It's about the size and shape of a walnut."

"Oh," Sora whispered in his best objective, academic tone. "And- and that's what makes you o-o... orgasm?"

"Yep," Joshua responded. "So during anal sex, if you're bottoming and I'm topping, I am thrusting my penis into your anus to hit your prostate." As he began rocking his hips back and forth against Sora's backside, the brunet's breath caught in his throat. He could feel heaviness spreading through his pelvis, meaning soon he would start weeping frosty liquid like with Ventus. Self conscious, he fidgeted and scooted away. Joshua blinked up in suspicion.

"S-so, c-can something like that be d-done, i-in, well, uh, in... different... ways?" Sora evaded in a wheeze. To his surprise, Joshua nodded and beamed. Then, he told Sora to get on his hands and knees and look at their reflection in the glass. When Sora did, Joshua rocked against him from the back.

"You can have sex in lot of positions," Joshua said. "this one is called doggy style-"

"Oh! That makes sense!" Sora interjected, remembering laughing with Riku at a pair of alley dogs copulating on the pier in Destiny Islands. Joshua rolled his eyes and crawled to face him, adding that the first position had been missionary. Before Sora could ask why, Joshua said that some people also did it from the side, or with the bottom sitting on the top. When Sora asked if it could be done with both people sitting up, Joshua raised a questioning brow.

"Like, uh..." Sora started. Then he caved and sat on Joshua's lap, with his back to his chest. Joshua blinked in shock.

"Can, can it be done like that?" Sora squeaked. "And, m-maybe, without a penis... inside?"

"Well if the penis isn't inside it's just called grinding, or dry humping if you're wearing clothes. That's what we're doing right now!" Joshua added in a coo, close to Sora's ear. Sora could feel something hard pressing against his back. It made his cheeks flush.

"A-and so, so if you were, but you were naked... it would still be grinding?" he gulped. Joshua furrowed his brows and pierced him with a strong side eye. "... Yeah," he said slowly.

"And, and so does the hip movement, the, uh, the grinding, or whatever, that's what happens in sex, too?"

"Yeah..."

"So if you're in a sexual position, or whatever, does the grinding just come subconsciously, like if you're, uh, receiving the penis, in or, uh, slightly out, do your hips ever kind of just, do it without you even having to, well, think about... it?"

"Sora," Joshua intoned. "I don't know if this is a question or a confession. Are you saying you ground against someone, naked?"

Sora glanced over his shoulder into Joshua's eyes. Then, guiltily, he gulped. Joshua's mouth burst open with glee. Before he could cheer or wrap Sora in a hug, the warning lights and buzzer at the control panel started going off. Dashing away from each other, the boys scrambled to the pilot seat and glanced out of the hemispherical window. Approaching their gummi ship from distant space, where a horde of colorful building blocks with sparkling lights shooting out of them. When one of the sparkling lights sailed forward and rammed into the forcefield surrounding the cockpit glass, Joshua and Sora were thrown back against the carpeted floor. After scrambling to their seats and buckling in, Joshua roared for Sora to operate the lasers. Nodding with vigor, Sora whipped back and forth in search of them.

"The button is in front of your seat!" Joshua shrieked. "Sora, it's a flap in the floor!"

Sora nodded and padded around in front of him. When he saw the flap, he flipped it up and brought up a small platform with a screen and buttons on it. When he pressed "on," the screen fizzled with a target in the middle and several approaching red dots surrounding. As the gummi ship shook with another strike, Joshua roared for Sora to start shooting. Sora nodded and bit his tongue, looking for the "fire" button. Then, he rammed onto it and held down, swiveling the wheel this way and that until he hit as many of the creatures as possible. Little diamonds fell from their exploded forms. When he exploded a meteor by accident and a glittering golden star erupted from it, Sora snapped for Joshua to collect it. He did so. After it registered, he screamed in delight.

"The stars are like a power source!" he sang. "It just brought our defenses up full!"

Sora grinned and furrowed his brows in concentration, shooting as many of the creatures and meteors as he could by swiveling the wheel in circles and holding the "fire" button. By the time another planet rose ahead of them, the warning lights were going off again, this time to tell the ship that it's laser was running out of juice.

"Fuck, Sora, if it goes out, we'll be sitting ducks!" Joshua screeched. Sora wiped his brow and whimpered in consternation. When he tried aiming his shots, they flew right over the enemy ships' shoulders. Abandoning all efforts, he begged Joshua to go faster and dodge as much as he could. Joshua scowled and swung the ship this way and that, swerving around meteors and laser fire as quickly as possible. When Sora lost control of the laser completely, he said that they had to land now.

"AAAAHHH!" Joshua screamed in frustration, jamming on the acceleration until they hit the next world's atmosphere. As he ran through the usual landing routine, he roared for Sora to look up their landing location.

"But PUT AWAY THE LASER FIRST!" he commanded. Sora nodded and shut the firing system off, pushing it down and flapping it shut under the carpet again. Then he clutched his tablet and brought up the new map, scrolling through it to find their destination. When he did, he shrieked that it was a clearing in a forest.

"What forest, Sora?" Joshua hissed.

"Right at the base of the mountain," Sora gulped. "Yucheng County, Shanqui Prefecture, Eastern Henan Province, thirty kilometers south of the county seat, courtyard with hall at the center is at the village entrance, oh, IT'S A CLEARING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST, LOTS OF BAMBOO AND A HUGE PILE OF STONES."

"I think I see it," Joshua gulped, steering towards a forest near a mountain range and village with a bald patch at its center. "Does the forest end in a cliff on the other side that leads to an army camp?"

"Y- YEAH, YEAH, I THINK SO!" Sora squeaked, wiping the sting of sweat from his eyes.

"You better be fucking right," Joshua snarled.

Fire burst around the ship's edges. Joshua pulled back the throttle until the engine shut off completely. Then, they were spiraling towards the forest. Sora clutched his seat and gritted his teeth. Joshua hissed with tension. The warning lights blinked off again. They were two hundred feet from the ground. One hundred. Fifty. Twenty. When they were ten feet away, they were gliding comfortably in circles. Then, touching down, Joshua plunged on the breaks and brought the ship to a halt right before hitting a massive, engraved stone. Sora was glad he was buckled in. His heart nearly flew out of his mouth as he jammed forward. When the ship stopped completely and Joshua hovered into park, he sat back. Then, he and Sora gave a collective sigh and closed their eyes. When Sora opened his again, Joshua glared at him.

"I can't believe you've lasted a year and a half without knowing how to fucking aim," the blond snarled. "Didn't you practice fighting Riku in Destiny Islands?"

"I fought with a wooden sword!" Sora croaked, jumping out of his seat and collecting his tablet to mask his tear stained cheeks. "I wasn't used to throwing things or any crap like that and I didn't play blitzball like Tidus or Wakka."

" _That's_ apparent," Joshua muttered. Sora sniffed and slipped towards the sleeping bag, tearing around for his duffel bag and backpack. Soon, Joshua clambered down after him. When Sora tore off his t-shirt and sleeping shorts and reached for his combat gear, Joshua scowled.

"Sora, this is the Wei Dynasty," he said. "If you go around looking like an alien, you'll get killed. Remember, we're not supposed to mess with the world order."

Sora scowled and glared into Joshua's disdainful lavender eyes. "Then what the heck am I supposed to wear?" he snapped. "This is my combat gear, my only protection!"

"So there's a uniform for heroes, now?" Joshua cooed sarcastically. Sora hissed and scrambled up, shoving his backpack under the mattress, changing his clothes, and opening the gummi ship exit. As he leapt from the rope ladder to soft ground outside, he glanced around him at a loss of what to do. No _way_ was Joshua stopping Sora from wearing his magical upgraded clothing. As he stared down his front, he pursed his lips and set his hands on his hips.

"Well?" he snapped down at his crown shaped necklace for no apparent reason, as if it were the translator for the rest of his outfit. "Yen Sid said you'd come in handy when you were needed. So what do I do now that I can't wear you?" he barked. As if it heard him, the clothing disintegrated like sand and disappeared into the air. When Sora glanced down again, he was naked.

Yelping and clutching his fists around his crotch, he cowered and looked around him in horror, as if a ghost would crawl out of the ground at any moment and snatch him up. Instead, a whistle rose behind him. When he swiveled on his heel, Joshua was giving him a slow once over.

"So where'd your combat outfit go, Sora?" he cooed. "I thought you couldn't go without it."

"I- I got an upgrade from the Magical Armory in the Land of Departure for my birthday," Sora said. It wasn't really a _lie_ if he forgot to specify when he got it, right? "So I guess one of my new powers is becoming nude upon will."

"Nice power to have," Joshua chirped, winking and chucking Sora some kind of burlap sack as he passed. When Sora unfurled it, he realized it was some kind of clothing. When he looked at Joshua, he saw he was wearing a brown tunic that opened and crossed in the middle, with a sad, yellow sash tied like a belt around his waist. Baggy trousers bound his calves in leather. Hard soled, ballet style slippers covered his feet. When Sora glanced from his clothing to Joshua's, he furrowed his brows.

"Sora," Joshua warned, "I know you like running around naked, but this isn't the time."

"Why does my uniform look different than yours?"

Joshua glanced to Sora in consternation. When he got a good look at the billowy layers of skirts, pants, and dress in the brunet's hands, he burst into laughter. When Sora demanded to know what was wrong, wondering if his costume was a more noble version of Joshua's, Joshua sputtered that his dress was for a woman.

"What?" Sora bleated in terror. Joshua fell to the ground, crying from laughter, sputtering that Cid Haze must have packed clothing for a boy and a girl by accident.

"Aw, Cid..." Sora groaned, glancing down at the dress again. Blushing, he demanded that Joshua trade clothes with him. Joshua scoffed in indignation. "Fuck, no," he snapped. "You've been a pain in my ass this whole trip and you expect me to change clothes just to satisfy your self image problems?"

"I'm not a woman!" Sora wailed.

"Treat it like the drag show!" Joshua tried.

"This is different. The Drag Show was fun and entertaining, this is our lives we're talking about!"

"Listen closely, Sora," Joshua snapped, advancing on Sora with a dangerous glimmer in his eyes. "I felt shaky for a whole day after our landing in Twilight Town. Just when I start feeling myself again, we're attacked by King Mickey after chasing down a fugitive that isn't even ours. As soon as I recover and we're on our way to our next location, you're screaming me down and asking me what sex looks like. Then, you lose all our gummi ship fire power because you can't aim worth a damn. We're going to have to wait, at minimum, two weeks for it to recharge. That means, in addition to being a day behind, we're now a day and two weeks behind."

"Well what the hell does that all translate to?" Sora said bravely. In return, Joshua glowered inches from his nose.

"It means you're putting on that dress, Sora," the blond whispered. "And if I decide to prance you around this Chinese village wearing nothing but a flower up your ass, you'll do it." With that, he marched ahead, leaving Sora to dress himself in his robes and wide brimmed bamboo hat alone. They walked side by side, Sora maddened by the sensation of loose skirts around his privates along with the fear that they would come across a civilian at any moment. By the time night fell, they were trailing the forest edge near the outskirts of town, close to a small, walled estate with horse stables, a pond, a shrine, and a tree filled with falling magnolia blossoms. Before Joshua could march towards it, Sora stopped him.

"Joshua-" he squeaked. Joshua pierced him with a look of veiled fury.

"Sora..."

"I just want to know how we're going to talk to them if we don't know Chinese."

"Sora, you were supposed to learn basic Chinese for Interworld Languages."

"I- I know, but it was such a nightmare I don't know if I'll remember it-"

"Then I guess I have to babysit _again_..."

Sora grimaced and scrambled near Joshua's side, wondering how Xemnas and the rest of the Organization expected them to traipse from world to world and just learn every single language imaginable. He barely knew Al Bhed, and he'd been studying that on and off since he was five.

When they reached the wall, they jumped over it with magic, Joshua with some personal innovation, Sora with a badly carried out "aero" spell that shot him forward rather than up. To break his momentum, he lolloped up the wall and flew through the air like a rocket, splashing into the lily pond at the estate's rear and scaring the carp inside. Joshua hissed for him to shut up, lest the family inside discover and attack them. Sora apologized and sloshed to dry ground. Thunder sizzled above. When he asked what they were supposed to do next, Joshua hissed that they had to find their life jacket.

"Life jacket?" Sora barked.

"It's the name of a person established in this world that we know," Joshua whispered.

"Mulan!" Sora gasped.

"Yes, Sora," Joshua chirped as if surprised. "Thank gods you've done your research on something-"

"No, she's right there, going towards that temple with the red gates!"

Sure enough, the girl was trudging up the stone steps past the bridge to the pond, towards a small pavilion with what looked like black stones inside. She was dressed to the nines, decked in a pink and purple number with long billowing sleeves that trailed around her ankles. Her hair was askew, sweeping in a black, sodden sheet down her back. Her feet were bare. Absent of thought, Sora dashed towards her, not bothering to wait for Joshua to catch up. He squelched with each muddy step. Mulan failed to notice a thing. As she disappeared under the pavilion roof, smoke from candles billowed through its open sides. Lights glowed within. Sora hunched forward and squelched over the bridge, resting his hand on cold, carven stone. When he glanced up its side, he gasped and stifled a scream. A massive, stone dragon leered down at him. He gulped and slipped past it, up the stone steps until he hung behind the pavilion entrance. Mulan was lighting an incense stick, setting it in a hanging bowl with a spindly dragon engraved over its sides. When Sora recognized the dragon's shape, he nearly had a conniption.

"Mushu?" he gasped, remembering the creature as a summon from his vision quest. Mulan choked and whipped around, glancing back and forth. Sora ducked to the ground, clapping his hand over his mouth. For a moment the girl froze. Then she returned to her prayers. When she was finished, she bowed, tore from the pavilion, and ran down the stone steps and over the bridge towards her home. Sora watched her go in stupor. As she slipped inside the hole in the wall guarding her estate, Joshua emerged from its shadows and peeked from her, to Sora. He gesticulated. Sora furrowed his brows in confusion, raising his palms to ask what he wanted. Joshua's fists railed in the air. Then he stomped towards Sora until he was ten feet away.

"Did you tell her we were here?" he snapped. Sora opened and closed his mouth. Joshua groaned and stomped away.

"Joshua, I'm not the one who knows freaking Chinese!" Sora barked.

"Mulan knows english, you idiot!" Joshua snapped. Sora furrowed his brows and winced in remembrance. When Joshua scowled and stomped back within the estate, Sora scrambled up and followed, still squelching from the falling rain overhead. He thought he noticed a cricket bound behind him through the grass, but he lost track of it. Soon he was inside the hole in the wall again, whipping around feverishly, hoping he would not wake Mulan's family. When Joshua reached his side, Sora suggested they split up.

"Fuck, no," Joshua hissed. "Every time we split up, something goes wrong."

"Well..."

"Okay, something goes _more_ wrong when we split up than when we travel together."

Just then, a horse neighed from the stables. Joshua and Sora stared at each other through the rain with widening glances. A black stallion with a white belly and startling blue eyes tore from the stable gates and bounded through the estate wall's entrance with a slight, armored being on its back. Soon, it was gone. Sora and Joshua stared after its hoof prints aghast.

"Do you think that was..."

"Fuck you, Sora."

"Nuggets..."

Just as Sora contemplated crying, the candles within the main house blazed as its inhabitants hurried around calling someone's name, whispering and wailing in a language Sora could only pick bits and pieces from.

 _Where did she go?_

 _The seal._

 _Mulan!_

 _Oh, ancestors..._

Sora and Joshua scrambled behind a tree outside the gates as a man hobbled on a cane outside. "Mulan!" he called in anguish, following the horse's hoof steps with fiery determination. As his foot slipped against a jutting rock, he gasped and fell, gaining a wail from the woman hurrying behind him. As she gathered him in her arms, he cried against her shoulder. It took everything in Sora not to go over and give him a hug. He decided that a random, crossdressing stranger who wanted a cuddle would do more harm in this situation than good. The man and woman traipsed inside the main house together, followed by an older woman with a lantern attached to a staff. She murmured something out loud. Then, she disappeared as well, and all the lights except one flickered off.

"Shit," Joshua groaned, wiping the rain from his sopping brow. As he stood, Sora bit his lip and stared over the estate's back, towards the pavilion with the black stones. Something was nagging at him...

"Sora," Joshua said flatly. "Let's go. We either start tracking her or we pretend to be peasants and get information from the family."

"Whatever works for you," Sora muttered without listening. He yelped when his shoulder was wrenched back.

"Sora!" Joshua commanded. "Start fucking taking these missions seriously or I swear, I'll make sure you never see a gummi ship again! You are _not_ going to ruin my grade because you're too childish to follow directions."

"I'm not childish!" croaked Sora. Joshua scowled. Then he muttered for him to wait while he talked to the family. "It's going to take ages to find her without information. Maybe I can squeeze something out of them." He snapped his fingers and pointed to the stable. "You stay hidden under the hay in there-"

"I don't want to sit in horse poop-"

"You stay _hidden under the hay in there_ while I talk to the family. I will come get you when I am ready to go. Clear?"

"Well, I don't really..."

"CLEAR?"

"...Clear."

Sora stuck his tongue out as Joshua strolled to the front door. Then he scrambled to the stable, wrinkling his nose as he shuffled inside and plopped down on the hay. As soon as he sat, something squeaked up at him. He yelped and jumped. Beneath the hay glistened a shaking, purple cricket. Sora "awed" as he glanced down at it, tickling its stomach as it shimmied up to him.

"You an outcast, too, little guy?" he cooed. The cricket looked almost melancholy. Sora's heart broke a little as its feelers drooped depressingly low. He scooped it up in his hands and nuzzled it to his cheek. "It's okay, buddy. Fellow outcast at your service. Nice to meet you. Name's Sora. Yours?"

The cricket responded by bounding from his grip and out the door. Sora gasped and faltered towards it, gritting his teeth as he remembered Joshua's warning. When the cricket peeped back through the gates in expectation, Sora groaned, cut his losses, and followed him. The creature bounded across the estate courtyard, past the magnolia tree through the hole in the wall, across the bridge, and up the stone steps to the pavilion, which now glowed an unearthly blue as purple smoke billowed from its tresses. Sora gasped as he glanced towards it, whispering for the cricket to come back to him. Was this the effect of a dark boil? Sora mustered every last bit of courage he could and dashed towards it, snapping for the cricket to return. When it draped itself along a hexagonal window sill indented in the pavilion's side, Sora hissed that it was way out of line.

"She gets it from your side of the family!" railed a bloated, nasal voice from inside the pavilion's walls. Sora ducked and bit his fist. When he glanced inside the open chamber, his eyes widened to saucers.

Upon every black stone sat a translucent, sea blue man or woman whose waist slipped down into a sort of mermaid tail without legs. They thrust their see-through necks towards each other in gesticulation, summoning random staffs, abaci, or even food without qualm.

"Not to mention, they'll lose the farm!" a man with a three pronged pitchfork warbled.

"My children never caused such trouble!" a thin, sharp woman railed from the other side. "They all became acupuncturists!"

"Well we can't _all_ be acupuncturists."

"No! Your great granddaughter had to be a cross dresser!"

Suddenly the ghostly gathering erupted in a full on brawl. Translucent beings of all shapes and sizes punched, slapped, and whacked each other with ferocious swipes as a great spirit between them boomed for them to be silent.

"Let the guardian bring her back!" suggested one man.

"Awaken the most cunning!"

"No, the swiftest!"

"Send the wisest!"

"Silence!" boomed the center spirit again, causing the rest to quiet in curiosity.

"We must send the most powerful of all..." the great spirit rumbled, casting his gaze out the hexagonal pavilion window with stateliness. When the point of his finger fell upon Sora, the spirit screeched. Sora screeched back. When a red, serpentine face bounded between them, Sora shrieked and tumbled backwards, stopping himself just short of rolling down the hill into the carp pond again. As the dragon in the window stared down at him, the spirits murmured behind.

"Youth!" the voice of the largest spirit boomed. "Approach!"

"Knew I should've listened to Joshua..." Sora groaned, trudging into the pavilion entrance and standing before the spirits in dejection. They stared back with suspicion.

"Few humans encounter the spirit world," the center spirit growled. "Fewer live to tell the tale..."

"I was just looking for my cricket-"

"He doesn't look like a Fa!" whispered the nasal voiced spirit.

"He looks like a bandit!" hissed his companion.

"He's a cross dresser!" gasped another. Soon the spirits were arguing again, this time over what to do with the intruder. When Sora stamped his foot and summoned his key blade, they all shrieked and shrank, dipping behind their stones in terror.

"Enough, young man!" the center spirit boomed. "Didn't your mother tell you never to draw a weapon on a deceased ancestor?"

"Uh..." Sora gulped. "...No?"

"Why are you here?" the spirit demanded.

"I'm, I'm here to talk to Mulan!"

"Well, good luck with that," snorted a female spirit. "She's off to join the imperial army in her father's place."

"She's joining the imperial army?" Sora gasped. When he attempted leaving, the spirits stopped him.

"Are you going to save her?" they asked.

"Well, _yeah_ ," Sora snorted. "I'm a hero, for crying out loud."

The pavilion shook with ghostly laughter.

"Maybe you should join the army, too," snorted one spirit. "At least _they'll_ make a man of you!"

"What the nut do you know-"

"Child," the center spirit gasped, pointing to him with wonder. "Are you Nomura Sora?"

Sora blinked in shock. Then he nodded.

"Mulan spoke of your courage to us," the center spirit whispered. "Spoke of your kindness to her after she escaped to that... _school._ "

"If the school churns out people like him," muttered a voice behind, " _I_ don't think it was an institution of moral means, if you catch my drift-"

"Sora, there has been a disturbance in our world," the center spirit whispered. "Dark spots have started appearing. Jiangshi and armored beings with the bodies of horses follow."

"Heartless?" Sora gasped. He nodded with vigor. "My weapon can defeat them."

"Go, then, Nomura Sora," the center spirit said, "go, awaken the great stone dragon. Ride it to Mulan. Mushu will follow. Save her, and you shall be rewarded by the ancestors."

"Cool. Summon stone dragon," Sora repeated, glancing out the window to the sculpture standing beside the river. Emboldened, he bowed, slipped from the temple, and sauntered towards it. Soon, two reptilian feet padded at his side.

"So, uh, Sora?" the little red dragon attached confirmed. Sora nodded. After the red dragon took full inventory of him, he nodded and held out his hand for Sora to shake. "Mushu," the reptile greeted. "Nice to meet you. You know how to summon a stone dragon?"

"I have an idea," Sora grinned, gripping his key blade tightly in his hand. "Dragons like fire, right?"

"Hell, man, I don't know, I just spit it every once in a while-"

"Then let's find out," Sora crooned, reclaiming the devil may care grin he had first tried on last year as he sauntered down the stone steps, past the bridge, and to the stone dragon's side, its frozen snarl a reflection of Sora's innermost desires. His face fell with grim determination as he examined it from all sides, squinting against the horizon's dawning eastern glow. Then, he backed ten feet away, told Mushu to hide, and centered his key blade and closed his eyes.

"Ancestors," he whispered, "great stone dragon of Mulan. Aid me. Show me what I'm made of. Come forth!" he bellowed. Then, gritting his teeth, he flung his eyes open, roared "ignite!" and watched in awe as seven balls of fire erupted around the stone dragon's base. As he watched them, he screeched in delight, jumping up and down.

"Mushu!" he cried. "I did it! I finally aimed right!"

As the ignite spell erupted into a full on flair, a sickening, exploding sound erupted behind Sora's back. Sora was catapulted off the ground and back into the pond. When he burst to the surface and dodged a hurtling stone, he stared towards where the stone dragon had once stood in confusion. Then he spotted its head flying through the air to the forest beyond the estate. As it landed with a distant thud, he felt his knees go weak.

"Oh, you did not just do what I think you did," Mushu drawled behind him. Sora whimpered. Hiding his key blade and sloshing back up the stone steps, he hunkered down and listened as the spirits in the pavilion receded.

"It is near dawn," the center spirit said. "I see by the purple smoke in the sky that the great dragon has taken flight. Now, we wait in rest." With that, the blue haze disappeared, the sun rose, and Sora was alone once more. Groaning, he slumped against the pavilion side and tore his fingers through his hair. When he felt something putter down beside him, he peeped one eye open.

On one side of him sat a dejected Mushu. On the other sat the cricket, equally glum. Sora stared forward and slumped as well. When he saw a bobbing blond head burst out from the hole in the wall and fling past the magnolia blossoms, his stomach sunk lower. Joshua blazed forward like hell on wheels, teeth gritted and curls flinging madly over his back. When he spied the strange assortment of creatures clamoring around Sora's sides, he scoffed and set his hands on his hips, reaching a distance ten feet before them before he asked what the hell was going on.

"Well, stranger," Mushu greeted. "Mr. Dumbass No-who-ha here just exploded Fa Mu Lan's great temple guardian. Now she gon' go to war without a damn dragon. She gon' die. I can't do a damn thing about it. Fa Mu Lan gon' die. Then I'm gon' die. Oh, lord..." he collapsed against the pavilion side and hyperventilated. Sora rubbed his slim back. The cricket crooned and snuggled against Sora's leg. Sora patted him as well. Joshua stifled a howl.

"We're going," he hissed. "Mulan's family said she's-"

"Going to join the imperial army," Sora responded, jumping up. "I just heard it from the ancestors. They said there are dark boils with weird new heartless coming out of them disrupting the spirit world."

Joshua blinked in surprise. Then he cocked his head to Mushu and asked what he was. Mushu jumped up immediately to introduce himself.

"Oh, I'm just-"

"I think he's like the ancestor awakener or something-"

"Well that's, um, well, that doesn't really catch the complexity of my line of work-"

"Do you know where Mulan is?" Joshua asked. When Mushu nodded Joshua added, "How well do you know her?"

"Hell, I been around before she was even born, man," the dragon responded in a snort. Joshua nodded and wrenched him up by the neck, trudging ahead without qualm as the reptile struggled under his grip. Sora gasped, collected Mulan's cricket, and followed, commanding Joshua to put Mushu down.

"We can all save Mulan together!" Sora insisted. "The dark boils are here for a reason! Maybe if we join the army and see where they're going, we'll find out what to do next!"

"Our mission is to find Mickey," Joshua growled.

"But if this world is going to war, wouldn't Mickey want to be a part of that?" asked Sora. "Wouldn't he want to save it?"

Joshua faltered in thought, releasing his grip on Mushu. In an instant the dragon scampered and hid behind Sora's back. Sora took a bold step forward.

"Joshua, we're stuck for two weeks anyway. What's a few weeks more? A lot of physical arts originated in this world. If I go through boot camp, maybe I'll become a better warrior. I'll learn to aim. I'll become stronger. I'll know the language. I won't be a pain in your neck!"

"Sora, you want to stay here so you can do a boot camp?" Joshua scoffed. Sora stared at him with determination. Joshua stared back, ponderous. Then, face smoothing over with a grin, he nodded.

"Fine," he chirped. "We'll join the army. Study the heartless. Look for Mickey. Save Mulan."

"Great," Sora breathed in delight. Joshua turned to Mushu and bowed. "I apologize for grabbing you. I was under duress." Then he turned for the woods. "I'm afraid we need to leave now, or Mulan's family will figure out Sora destroyed her ancestral statue and have us arrested. Can you lead the way, Mushu?"

Mushu glanced around in shock, looking over his shoulder before pointing to himself. "Me?" he squeaked. "Me... lead the _way_?"

When no one objected, he yipped and flipped through the air. "Oh, yeah, baby!" he cried, kicking and punching ahead of him. Then he slithered up Sora's back and sat atop his head, pointing past the forest with the gummi ship towards the army camp they had passed on their way to landing. "Let's get ready to save China!"

Joshua snorted. Sora hurried forward in excitement. He was about to join a real, live army fighting a real war. He would learn martial arts, Chinese, and military tactics, but most of all, he would finally learn what it meant to be a man. Or at least how to act like one.

~X~

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 **A/N: Please follow, fav, and review! I can't reiterate how much the support means. I seriously love hearing from you guys, even if you just leave a guest review.**


	39. Making a Man

**A/N: Hello again! It's been months but I'm back with another chapter! Things in my life have been insane and exhausting, but I love this story so I'm trying with all my heart to finish it. Hopefully you all stick around for the ride! R12, thank you so much for your review! Roxas will return with a bang pretty soon, and from then on things will get interesting (as they usually do when he chooses to grace us with his presence).**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Thirty Nine_**

~X~

"So who the hell's idea was it to walk to the army camp on foot?" gasped Mushu, stumbling through bamboo thickets at a crawl. Sora, Joshua, and the cricket, whom Mushu had christened Kree-Kree, lumbered behind. Everyone shot a nasty look to Sora but Joshua, who flitted along unperturbed.

"For the last time, I'm sorry, okay?" Sora snapped. "If that big stone was a real dragon, why did he blow apart under a simple spell?"

"Maybe you said the spell wrong, Sora," Joshua chirped. "If you can't aim, who's to say you can't think the right magical thoughts, either?"

"I thought the thoughts, okay!" Sora spat. "The dragon was fake."

"Do I look fake to you?" snapped Mushu. "Maybe if you had've let _me_ awaken the dragon..."

"Well, even if we did awaken the dragon, what if it fried us all?" asked Sora. "What if it was a mean dragon?"

"I would've bathed in lava to escape this damn walk," Mushu sighed. "This is just wrong, man..."

Joshua gave a sharp shush as a horse neighed ahead. Everyone hunkered down and slithered forward on hands and knees, peeping through the brush towards a small clearing. In it paced a horse and its rider, the horse a black stallion with a white belly and blue eyes, the rider a slight man in armor. When Sora got a better look at the rider's face, he gasped. Before he could jump up and scream Mulan's name, Joshua and Mushu tackled him to the ground.

"Sora," Joshua snarled. "Look before you leap."

"But-" Sora protested as Mushu slithered through the brush towards Mulan's horse wth Kree- Kree bounding behind. Joshua and Sora cursed together. Then they scrambled after them at a five foot distance. Mulan's words began taking form. Joshua chuckled as he listened, obviously understanding her Chinese better than Sora. By her gesticulations, it seemed like she was making fun of someone. She strolled around with her hands on her hips and her brows furrowed, puffing her chest out and speaking in an affected, deepened voice. When she tried summoning her father's sword from its scabbard, she fumbled and it fell. Her horse neighed in laughter and she threw her shoe at it. Then, defeated, she slumped and groaned. When she seemed to settle on an answer, a fire blazed up on the massive stone wall behind and she whipped around, assailed by the spirit shadow of a hulking, sharp toothed dragon. When Joshua noticed Mushu's tail flicking around a small bolder before the stone wall in question, he groaned and clapped his hand to his forehead in realization.

"DID I HEAR SOMEONE ASK FOR A MIRACLE?" Mushu boomed in english from behind the smaller stone, where Kree-Kree was fanning a growing flame with a bamboo leaf. "LET ME HEAR YOU SAY 'AY'!"

"AAH!" Mulan yelped. Mushu snapped his claws and winked. "That's close enough!"

"A ghost..." Mulan whispered, reeling back in shock. "That speaks... English?"

"... So heed my word lest the army find out you're a girl," Mushu plowed on. "Because the PENALTY... is DEATH!"

"Who are you?" Mulan asked.

"Who am I?" Mushu gasped. "WHO am _I_? I am the guardian of lost souls-"

"The biggest pain in the neck-" Joshua growled under his breath.

"The powerful, the pleasurable, the indestructible Mushu!" Mushu said, stepping out from behind the stone as Joshua cast blizzard and put out the fire. Kree-Kree collapsed in exhaustion to the side and Sora knelt and massaged his feelers.

"Yeah, I'm pretty hot, huh?" Mushu said with a wink as Mulan's lip curled. Suddenly, the black stallion behind leapt and trampled over the dragon's tiny form, spiriting Joshua and Sora from behind the stones to help him. After Mulan commanded her horse to step back and turned around, she screamed in delighted surprise, rushing past Mushu to tackle Sora. As he hugged her, she smiled and laughed.

"Sora!" she breathed, adding, "and... Sora's friend," as she glanced over Joshua. "What are you doing here?"

"We've come to save China," Sora responded without qualm. Mulan blinked hard before asking if he knew basic Chinese, to which Sora drew an ominous blank. She winced and glanced through the bamboo thicket towards the camp, groaning. Mushu pulled himself out of her horse's hoof print and slithered to her side.

"See? I brought this fool to help... guide us," Mushu started. "The ancestors approved him, but I don't think they knew him like you did."

"Sora was one of the best weapon summoners in my class!" Mulan breathed in reverence. Sora snorted and scratched his hand behind his head, shrugging that he wasn't necessarily the _best_. When he tried resting his palm on a nearby tree, the tree never appeared. Instead he tripped and tumbled to the ground. Mushu cackled ahead of him, deadpanning, "well, I'd hate to have seen the worst."

"Why are we standing around wisecracking?" Sora croaked as he sprung to standing. "Let's pick up the pace, already, this army isn't going to join itself!" Before he could leap towards the camp down the river, Joshua caught his shoulder and told him to hold up. When Sora furrowed his brows in confusion, the blond took him aside and whispered in his ear.

"Sora," he started through a measured sigh. "Don't you remember the cardinal rule of intergalactic travel?"

"Uh... fasten your seatbelt and make sure the windows don't have leaks?"

"No," Joshua spat. "Don't interfere with the world order."

"Is joining an army interfering, though?" Sora asked.

"Fuck yeah it is!" Joshua retorted. "The whole point of traveling from world to world is data retrieval. So all we have to do is find our life jacket-"

"-Who's trying to join the Chinese army-"

"-Interview a couple people-"

"-Kinda difficult without joining the army-"

"And peace out by the day after tomorrow. Clear?"

"I don't really think-"

" _Clear?_ "

Sora shuffled his feet from side to side as Joshua stared him down. Finally, he scowled and muttered, "clear." Joshua groaned in relief and straightened, taking a moment to peek over his shoulder. When he realized Mulan was gone, the color left his cheeks.

"Where's-" Sora started, peeking across the empty clearing as well.

"Shit." Joshua finished. Scrambling, they followed the hoof-prints in the mud for a good hour until the surrounding trees thinned like hair on a balding scalp. Out past the wood's sloping forehead lay the army camp, a beacon of cream at the center of a grassy plain. A massive line of all sorts of men loomed before it, no doubt awaiting conscription. When Sora spotted Mulan's horse at the back and saw a glint of red peeking from her armor collar, he hissed for Joshua to look and asked what they should do. Joshua cursed and groaned under his breath, rifling through the duffel bag he had brought along for something useful. When Sora spotted a bundle of colorful silk, he furrowed his brows in curiosity and reached forward. Joshua slapped away his palm, hissing that he had stolen a couple of Mulan's dresses from the house. When Sora gasped, the blond blubbered that they were for disguises.

"Why the heck would you need a kimono-"

"-Cheongsam-"

"-A Kong-sam to join the army?"

"Because I wasn't planning on joining a fucking army, Sora!"

They whipped towards the camp again, biting their nails collectively as the line shortened. Finally, Joshua hissed, clapped Sora on the shoulder, and swiveled him around.

"Sora," he started. Sora leaned forward in glorious anticipation.

"Since our lifejacket for this world is refusing to cooperate," Joshua continued, "we may have to join the army _on one condition._ "

Sora faltered and folded his hands in his lap, acting as much like he treasured Joshua's every breath as possible. The blond fidgeted and toyed with Mulan's robes. Then, he sighed, "we leave as soon as possible."

"Done," Sora squeaked, heart pounding with excitement. Before he could scramble up, Joshua wrenched him down again, hissing, "and you follow my every command for however long we're here."

Before they could stand again, Sora asked for a favor. As Joshua cocked his brow, Sora cocked his head in his best puppy impersonation and asked if they could change clothes.

"You want me to dress as the woman, now?" stated Joshua dully. Sora winced but smiled. Scowling, Joshua threw his duffel bag down and snapped for Sora to undress. In an instant they switched outfits. Then, shaking hands, they lolloped down the hill past the line to the army camp just as Mulan clobbered inside. Once they evaded the guards, the boys slipped over the camp border and hunted amongst the tents, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible as they hunted her out amongst masses of undesirables picking their noses, teeth, and clipping between their toenails at every corner. When a loud fart sailed from nearby, Sora giggled and sighed in nostalgia, gaining a sharp look from Joshua. For a good minute the brunet donned a more serious expression. Then he spotted Mulan.

She was arguing with a short, stocky man in Chinese. When the man turned around, something red tugged at Mulan's ear from the collar of her armor, inspiring her to ball her hand into a fist, pummel the stocky man in the back of the head, and send him straight into the belly of a towering being with a bald head and the overall shape of a beach ball behind. As the mountain picked the short man up and chirped some sort of hello, Mushu whispered in Mulan's ear again, and she clapped the stocky man on the behind.

"What the fuck is she doing?" Joshua hissed. Sora shrugged. "I don't know. But it looks like Mushu's giving her suggestions."

Ahead, Mulan turned from the stocky man just as he whipped around and aimed a punch for the back of her head. When Sora spotted the ball of his fist, he screamed for her to "duck!" Mulan reacted like a broken doll, collapsing to the ground and sending the stocky man's fist into the stomach of the man behind just in time. As the two roared into a spirited battle, Mulan scrambled up, grabbed Sora's arm, and steered the party away. Before they could hide or disappear completely, the skinny man saw her and cried out. Mulan gasped and ran, Sora and Joshua following her as Mushu slipped down her back. The four of them scrambled inside a larger tent under a couple of blankets, wincing as their assailants whipped past them out the other end. Mulan watched them leave in satisfaction, gasping when the stocky and skinny fellows skidded just short of a line of men waiting for lunch outside. When their bald, mountainous companion parked directly behind, his stomach toppled over the skinny man and bowled the rest of the line down like dominoes. Soon, the entire camp was kicking, punching, and screaming at each other, flinging rice, chopsticks, and weaponry in every direction. Against Mulan and Joshua's will Sora dived in as well, whacking a stranger upside the jaw and kicking another in the gut in a spirited match of bravery. He did not hear when Joshua roared for him to get up or when Mulan gasped for him to escape. But when a piercing whistle sailed through the air and he glanced up to see an official looking man with a red sash across the waist of his armor fuming down at him, he gaped and fired to attention, waiting as the man asked a question and the party pointed to Mulan's cowering form. The red sashed man hoisted her up and snapped, "what's your name?" in Chinese.

 _I understood that!_ Sora sang to himself, grinning and rolling along the balls of his feet. When the armored man reached him and spat, "name!" he went blank and fumbled, "S-Sora!"

"I don't recognize your name from our roster!" the official spat, hand hovering over his blade.

"He-he's my slave!" Mulan blurted from further up the line.

"Then why aren't you side by side?" the red sashed man demanded. Mulan gulped and winced, shrugging that she liked to give her slave a little bit of space.

"It's, uh, good for... for," Sora interjected in broken Chinese, trailing off to a whisper on the last word. As the red sashed man glanced at him in wonder, an official in blue slipped behind and whispered, "my god, captain, the boy can hardly speak!"

"Is he mentally capable of fighting in a war?" asked the red sashed man to Mulan.

"What he lacks in intelligence, he makes up for in spirit and skill!" Mulan insisted. The captain stared at her in suspicion. For a moment his gaze sailed over the heads of all the recruits. When it landed on Joshua, he reeled back and barked, "who the hell let a woman into the army camp?"

"The Huns took me hostage," Joshua piped up without thinking, his soft lavender irises and long, black lashes attracting several wanting glances. "They destroyed my entire village. Luckily, this man found me on the road and... saved me," he finished in a mutter, pointing to Mulan and smiling sweetly when the red sashed official gave him a suspicious glower. The official in blue tiptoed up to him and whispered in his ear. The red sashed man bit his lip. Then, settled, he reeled away and addressed the crowd. Sora pretended to listen, picking out random words here and there and trying to memorize them. But it proved futile. As soon as the man dismissed them, Mulan led her troop to an empty spot where they could pitch their tent. When everyone stood like idiots, she hissed for Sora to set it up. Surprisingly, Chinese tents were similar to the ones on Destiny Islands. Sora had it up in no time, and when everyone except Mulan's horse traipsed inside, he padded to her shoulder and asked what the red sashed man had said. Mulan slumped and took off her external armor with a groan.

"His name is Shang," she mumbled. "He's my captain and he said training starts at sunrise."

"What time?" Sora asked.

"She said sunrise, half baked," Mushu drawled from Mulan's shoulder.

"I know that!" Sora scowled. "I just mean what hour so I can set my alarm!"

"Things don't work like that, here," Joshua piped in, slipping his tablet from under his robes to look up his assignments. "Remember- ancient China! No stopwatches."

"Oh, nuggets," Sora groaned. Before he could say another word, Mulan stopped them both and demanded to know why the hell they were following her.

"This isn't a high school reunion, this is a war!" she hissed. "If you wanted to catch up, this is a terrible time!"

"We're not here to catch up, Mulan," Joshua responded darkly. "We're here to gather information."

"For who?" gasped Mulan.

"Organization XIII," Sora returned. "They want us to gather information on fugitives."

"Wait, wait, hold up," Mulan insisted, halting her palms in front of her for silence. When she received it, she groaned and rubbed her sinuses, muttering that the day just kept getting weirder and weirder. Outside of her tent a shadow formed. There was the sound of swishing air. Then, an imperial arrow zipped through the tent and landed right between Mushu's legs. As the dragon yelped, Mulan gaped from the arrow to the hole left in the tent's tarp. Outside, just visible through the tear, was a single, narrowed eye.

"Quit while you're ahead, freak," the gravelly, snappish voice of the stocky man from earlier hissed. "The longer ya stay, the better my aim's gonna get."

"Don't fuck wit dis shit, pipsqueak!" Mushu snapped from behind Mulan's collar. "We got three men and a horse and we ain't afraid to use 'em!"

"Talk all ya want, _Ping_ ," the man outside mocked. "Let's see how ya feel come trainin'." With that, he was gone. When Mulan looked towards Mushu in disappointment, he scowled that she had to stand up for herself.

"I can't stand up for myself if the whole army hates my guts!" she spat. As she whimpered, Sora reached out and squeezed her palm.

"We'll help you, Mulan," he whispered. "Whatever we can do, we will."

"I thought you said you were here for information," Mulan retorted, glaring at Joshua in hope. When Sora speared the blond with a longing gaze, Joshua gritted his teeth and hissed, "we'll stay as long as this world proves useful."

"Meaning we're going to give you our absolute all!" Sora corrected with a beam. He wished the party's ensuing silence sounded more confident than it felt.

~X~

"I am a fireball," Sora murmured in a loud, humming voice, eyes closed in deep concentration. "I am a fireball that is aiming for the rock directly above that hill. FIRE!"

A burst of flame crawled from the end of his key blade and sizzled into the riverbed surrounding his feet. As the water between his toes became scorching hot, he yelped and fired onto dry land, cursing and stomping in frustration. When he looked up, a single ball of flame flickered to life just above the rock on the hill. When Sora blinked and rubbed his eyes in shock, the fireball exploded a crack in the rock's face. Sora grinned. Clapping rose behind him. Mulan lumbered to his side as he turned around, smiling as well. Her imperial bow and arrow, and her father's sword, clattered on her back and side.

"Did I do that?" Sora breathed in pride.

"No," Mulan replied. "I did."

"Oh," Sora swallowed, deflated. Mulan shrugged, slung her bow, aimed for a woody shrub at the rock wall's base, and fired. The arrow missed entirely, deflating her as well. Instead she sent another fireball to incinerate it. As it burned up, Sora muttered that she had gotten good. Again, she shrugged.

"If only Shang allowed fire magic in his army. Then I could really impress him..."

"How do you aim so well?" Sora diverted, itching with the possibility of exploding a rock as well.

"Mushu says you look at the place you want to hit, shape your mouth in the direction of your gaze, and spit. Er, I guess, "eject" would be a better word for us, since we don't have flammable saliva."

"Eject?"

"Yeah! Like..." Mulan trailed off, furrowing her brows and tapping her chin. "It's like sneezing on purpose. You decide you're going to sneeze, you feel it building up, you hold, aim, and then sneeze!"

"Sounds right..." Sora muttered.

"Maybe the keyblade is different," Mulan conceded. "Like you have to aim with your weapon. I don't really know the mechanics, so I can't say for sure."

"You know the mechanics as well as I do," Sora snorted. "I just mash things until they fall over."

"I'm sure you're better than that," Mulan insisted. Though inclined to defend himself, Sora could not find the energy. Instead, he clamped his mouth shut and shrugged in a pursed, barely existent voice, "no, I'm really not."

The uncharacteristic tone made Mulan glance his way. When she saw his expression, she furrowed her brows and silenced as well, the wind on the mountain and their footsteps the only surrounding noises. Overhead circled a tiny, whip like black form. A bird. Its shrill, quick call raised the hairs on Sora's neck.

"Falcon," Mulan muttered. The raptor dove and disappeared. "We're higher up than I thought. The deepest part of the river must be close."

They veered in the falcon's direction and continued on. As they walked, Sora pondered Mulan's suggestions, remembering his first finals week when Cloud, Hercules, Zack, Leon, Tifa, and Yuffie had helped him study for his fight against Riku. Then he imagined Joshua landing the gummi ship in Twilight Town; the way he organized, steadied the vessel, and readied it for touchdown.

"Maybe it's like piloting," he whispered out loud. "You get the controls in order, place your body right, and lock on the destination, not the trajectory!"

 _Awareness versus attention!_ Cloud echoed through his thoughts. _Detail versus the whole._

 _The weapon is an extension of you!_ a ghostly Tifa added. _Use the strength of your momentum, never invent it. Sting, don't push!_

Around him rung silence. Then, a strange, purring yawn. Something struggled from the back of Mulan's tunic. A red, reptilian head popped out, eyes bleary from napping. Mulan petted Mushu lovingly, snickering when he batted her hand away. "I told you no petting!" he snapped as he preened. "I ain't a cat and I don't wanna be treated like one."

For some reason, the comment cut Sora, too. Perhaps it was the memory of the conversation between he and Joshua on the gummi ship, just before touching down in the Land of Dragons that had him sore.

 _Your whole existence screams put a collar on me and I'll be your puppy,_ the blond mocked in his head. It made Sora wrinkle his nose, aim his key blade haphazardly, and shout "fire!" at the top of his lungs. Behind him Mulan yelped. When Sora looked back, he noticed he'd caught part of her shoe. Luckily, the puddle of water before them proved a suitable flame retardant.

"Damn, boy, I swear if you kill my girl..." Mushu started, puffing up and spitting sparks Sora's way. As the boy curled in shame, Mulan snapped that she was fine, wincing at the new hole in her shoe all the same. "Just... you really need to aim, Sora. Magic is dangerous if not used properly."

"Okay," Sora gulped. A vigorous fire welled within him until he swiveled forward, sprung a suitable distance away, and hunted for what he wanted to hit next. When a massive, gnarled boulder caught his eye, he stopped, jumped up and down a few times, and stretched, confirming his body was relaxed and ready.

"Try doing what I suggested!" Mulan called. Sora switched his blade to his left hand, held up his right in the shape of an L, and lined it up with his lane of vision, steadying it right against the rock ahead. Then, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he switched grips and supported the blade as if it were his hand. The spell's desired effect became his target, a dreamlike carrot dangling right in front of the boulder's mottled surface. Then, with all his might, he roared, "fire!" A blistering, massive flame snarled from the tip of his key blade and pulsed a few meters through the air, like a ribbon towards its destination. But its surface area was so large and its volume so shallow that it suffocated before hitting a thing. It disappeared in a puff of smoke as quickly as it had summoned. Sora slumped in desolation, staring at his key blade as if it had betrayed him. He scowled and chucked it to the ground, groaning when it disappeared and reappeared in his hand again. When he stared down its sparkling, golden hilt, his reflection glared back at him, sallow, chubby cheeked, and button nosed. Scoffing, he made the blade disappear and kicked a rock as far as he could instead. It puttered ten feet away and hung on the cliff edge.

"You finished?" Mulan called. Sora rolled his eyes and held his thumb up. Within ten minutes the pair walked side by side again, past another string of boulders and shrubs, until snow and ice began to pile up around them. When Mulan began wincing against the shoe Sora had put a hole in, he offered her one of his socks.

"Nice gesture, Sora," Mulan scoffed. "But I'm not sure how warm a sock will keep me."

"It's magical," Sora tried, making Mulan raise her brows. "Magical?" she chirped. Sora nodded.

"Yen Sid gave me a magical upgrade for my birthday, and I finally used it a couple weeks ago. It made all my clothes special, like I'm still wearing them even when it feels like I'm not."

"Magical clothing," Mulan whispered in admiration. "You continue to surprise me, Sora."

"Yeah, well I wish I could surprise you by being talented," he muttered. "This whole training camp has just been an ego killer."

Mulan widened and narrowed her eyes in a "tell me about it" gesture, scoffing that if Shang didn't fire her within a week, she'd pay Sora a million coppers. After another five minutes of silence and furtive glances, she half chuckled, half scowled, and murmured that Sora sure knew how to make the right friends. Sora shot up like a rod, snapping for her to elaborate. Blushing, Mulan blubbered that it just seemed like he knew a lot of great people.

"I mean, how many kids can say they got a magical upgrade from Master Yen Sid, birthday or not? And you were friends with Riku, Roxas, even professor Ansem and Aqua were really invested in you."

"I wouldn't call it _invested_ ," Sora muttered.

"All your teachers loved you, Sora," Mulan interjected, holding up her forefinger when Sora tried interrupting to continue, "and the only times they didn't was when you weren't doing your schoolwork. I mean, let's be honest here, your first week of school you missed two weeks of club classes because you thought they weren't mandatory."

"Who told you that?" Sora cried, blushing cherry. When Kairi's name passed Mulan's lips, Sora scoffed and paced ahead, kicking snow this way and that in a vain attempt to calm down.

"But the rest of the student body knew long before that," Mulan called behind him. "That's why the rumors started. People were getting irritated that you were getting so much special attention."

"Well, people should have minded their own business!" Sora spat. These revelations were opening up old wounds he did not want to revisit. All of a sudden, it seemed, people had not just tortured him for the hell of it. They had been jealous of him. Though he guessed it was a backhanded compliment, he did not think anyone would want to be envied for not deserving their gifts.

"I suppose they thought _they_ should have been the ones getting key blades."

"I think they wondered where you got yours from."

"The key blade chooses its master, not the other way around!" Sora called, jutting his palm down for emphasis as he gave a forty-five degree turn in Mulan's direction. He avoided eye contact, knowing that if he met her big, chocolate brown irises, he might balk and admit that Roxas might have influenced his key blade inheritance ceremony.

"It's not even that great of a weapon, anyway," he tried, shrinking when Mulan threw back her head and cackled.

" _Not even that great of a weapon_? Are you kidding me? Oh Sora…" when she busted into laughter again, Sora summoned the blade, waved it around, and thunked it on the ground in derision. "This old thing?" he cried over her laughter. "A sword that's not even a sword? A glorified lock pick? You can't even aim with it!"

Mulan giggled as Sora swished it through the air with savage, clumsy strokes. "Well, I'm pretty sure I witnessed Aqua take magnificent aim several times."

Emblazoned, Sora snapped, "well hunky dory for her! Maybe everyone's right- maybe I don't deserve the damn thing! Maybe you deserve it!" he added, thrusting the weapon towards Mulan's chest and advancing as she backed away. "You have some of the best fire magic I've ever seen, and you work harder than anyone I've ever met-"

"Whoa, Sora," Mulan warned, holding her palms up in surrender. "I never implied that you didn't deserve it. If Organization Thirteen trusted you off world with a weapon like that-"

"They don't trust me at all!" Sora cried. "That's why they sent Joshua to spy on me!"

"But why would they let you roam free if they didn't believe in you?" Mulan beamed, grabbing Sora by the elbows and squeezing to make him feel better. Though it made him falter in thought, he shrugged out loud that he was probably less of a liability the farther away from them he got.

"I can't blunder any of their devious plans," he snorted, cheeks pinking in spite of the day's disappointments. "With my rate of improvement, I'll probably never be a…" he faltered, stumbling over whether he wanted to say "key blade master" or "hero." The latter was a title he had always dreamed of in some form or another. The former was an achievement he had not dreamed of till seeing Aqua become a professor. Was that what he wanted for his life? To be like Mickey, Aqua, Eraqus and Yen Sid? Professors of a school rampant with evil, doomed to disappear, die, or scamper into hiding at the least bit of trouble? Perhaps what he had said to Mulan earlier was true. Perhaps the key blade was just a glorified lock pick. Who had it _really_ helped till now? The only name that came to mind was Organization XIII.

"Hero," he whispered in a hollow way, hating the false feeling of the word as it left him. For a moment Mulan stared, lost for words. Then, beaming, she squeezed his arms again and nodded in encouragement.

"You'll get better, Sora!" she whispered. "The first steps to greatness are always the hardest."

"You can say that again," Sora snorted, but Mulan tucked her forefinger under his chin and raised his eyes to meet her gaze. Her smile was warm, inviting, and honest as always.

"You know," she started, wetting her lips and furrowing her brows in an effort to figure out what to say next, "when I first got into the Academy at Land of Departure, they asked why I wanted to go there. And I said: to be strong enough to protect my family. At that time, the Huns were just a whisper on the wind. But every night I'd wake up from these terrible nightmares… ones of me humiliating myself, of being helpless in the face of danger, of having to depend on people I couldn't. So one day I woke up, and I said to myself, not anymore!"

"But what about when the Academy kicked you out?" Sora barked, clapping his hand over his mouth and apologizing for his brashness when Mulan reeled back. Thoughtful, she settled that for a little while, she gave up.

"I did what all the other village girls did," she said. "I took music, tea, dancing, poise, and calligraphy lessons. I started dressing like them. And then I went to my matchmaker."

"And?" Sora goaded when she hesitated. Mulan snorted. Then, she continued, "I royally fucked up."

"Cheated on the test, smeared ink all over her, Kree-Kree nearly killed her…"

The absence of purring in reply told Sora that Kree-Kree was still with Joshua.

"She told me I would never bring my family honor," Mulan continued, biting her lip to keep from crying. "My father was devastated. When I got home, I hid myself under our stone guardian and tried to understand. I wanted so badly to be of service to the world in some way. When I couldn't do that through magic and combat, I tried to do it through being the best woman I could, by making it easier on all the men going to war and creating good Qi. But when I failed that, too, I felt lost."

"Wait a second," Sora gasped, "was that the day you decided to join the army?"

Mulan beamed and nodded. "I realized that I'd been going about it all wrong. The first steps to greatness are always the hardest. The Academy wasn't a stumble in the wrong direction; it was a step towards what I was meant to be. And this is the second step."

"What are you trying to say, Mulan?" Sora asked. Mulan rolled her eyes and winked. "I'm saying don't give up," she whispered. Then, head held high, she waltzed ahead of him, imperial bow gripped tightly in her hand. As she walked, Mushu patted her back in pride and chirped, "Though, friends is pretty important too, right? You might not've had the strength to join the army for real without a red, reptilian helping hand."

"You're right, Mushu," Mulan chuckled, glancing towards Sora and winking again. "Sometimes, friends are the best power."

That touched Sora's heart. Inimitable warmth cascaded over her, bolstering his confidence and bringing tears to his eyes. It took another bird cry overhead to snap him fully to his senses, and by then he had to run to catch up. When he reached Mulan's side again, she was glancing over her shoulder towards the village, asking where Joshua was. Sora scowled and shrugged.

"Probably doing the actual assignments."

"Which were?"

"Find Mickey. Kill monsters. Unlock treasure chests and puzzle pieces and whatnot. Mini games, that sort of thing."

"Find Mickey…" Mulan repeated, searching her memory. "Who all did you say disappeared again?"

"Everyone with a key blade, practically," Sora responded darkly. "And then some."

"Such as?"

Sora banged his hand to his temple and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to envision the list of fugitives handed out at the beginning of the semester.

"Vanitas-"

"Weirdo-"

"Master Xehanort-"

"Old weirdo."

Sora jolted and whipped towards Mulan in surprise. When she raised her brows, his chest fluttered. It was the first time that someone had admitted out loud that they thought Master Xehanort was strange. Somehow, it made him feel less alone.

"Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Mickey, Roxas, Riku, Ansem, Naminé, DiZ-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _Roxas? Naminé? Riku?_ "

Sora's brows furrowed. Then he realized that Mulan did not know Ari had just been a clone. Ahead, she shook her head.

"Damn. Anyone else?"

"Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth, and… crap. I should know this. Dammit."

"Clues, Sora, let's figure this out."

"Ooh, we playin' charades? I love a good game of charades."

That last admission had been Mushu. Mulan laughed out loud and patted his head, telling him to save the party games for later.

"Zack!" Sora cried finally, chuffed that he'd remembered them all. Mulan blew out a breath of surprise. "Perhaps the world is ending everywhere," she gulped. "People disappearing there, strangers appearing here…"

"Strangers?" Sora repeated. Mulan's eyes brightened with mischief. "I was walking by Shang's tent a couple nights ago and heard him speaking with a messenger from the capital."

A chill wind drifted by that made her point a furtive glance over her shoulder and continue scouting.

Sora followed apace, swishing his key blade back and forth in distraction. The sound of running water intensified, the river so close that condensation rolled up from its fall. When the basin finally revealed, Mulan grinned, cupped her hand over her mouth, and called down, wondering out loud if anyone would answer. Usually they could spot army officers or peasant children chancing a dip. But this time, nothing replied. Not even crickets, goats, or winter birds. The falcon dipped overhead once more, quiet as a specter.

"A man in black," Mulan continued, following the raptor's path through the sky with narrowed gaze. "Some have seen him on the mountains, in the palace, in the woods. The way they describe his behavior… it's almost as if he's three different people wrapped in the same cloak."

"A black cloak?" Sora echoed. When he pictured Soddy, clad in his familiar leather robes, the tips of his fingers ran cold. It seemed too random to be true. Then again, a lot of people wore black cloaks. Including Mickey. Including Organization XIII.

"Was he ever violent?" Sora murmured.

"Sometimes," Mulan responded. "Most of the time the messengers didn't get close enough to interact. There was one battalion that spotted him far ahead and sent scouts to find him. Hours later, the battalion's rear said they noticed him following them, like he was in two places at once."

"Do you think he'd hurt the emperor?" Sora asked.

"Why would he need to hurt him?" Mulan retorted. "If he's a member of Organization XIII, I don't see the point. I thought that maybe he was looking for one of your fugitives. Or you."

"But what if he's not Organization XIII at all," Sora muttered half to himself, miffed and uncomfortable at even the suggestion that someone from the Organization could be watching him.

"I need Joshua to let me stay longer," he whispered. When Mulan shrugged that he'd given in pretty easily so far, Sora quipped that he must have seen something in it for himself.

"Or maybe you're just more persuasive than you think," Mulan suggested. Sora furrowed his brows as she winked, scanning her mischievous gaze to find her hidden meaning. When he could not, she giggled and evaded him, making him whine and charge behind her with pleas to enlighten him. When she finally stopped, she shrugged and quipped, "maybe it's like my matchmaker said, 'you've got to use your womanly charm.'"

"Oh, gods," Sora groaned, evading her again and stomping forward without her. When she asked what was wrong, Sora called that he was tired of being compared to a lady.

"I'm not comparing you to a lady at all," Mulan returned. "I'm just saying charm is a useful quality-"

"True heroes don't need charm!" Sora snorted. "They draw people to them without having to bat an eye! With strength, skill, assertiveness, a no nonsense attitude, and most importantly-"

"A big bullying streak?" Mulan finished dully, making Sora blush a deeper shade of red than he thought possible. When he cried that that was not what he meant at all, Mulan shrugged and mumbled that he sounded like Shang.

"The biggest bully of them all," she added through a sigh.

"Well, he's building infantry," Sora insisted. "He has to be tough."

"I know," Mulan responded. "He can crowd out the weak all he likes, but he doesn't have to be so darn rude about it…"

"He does get in people's personal space a lot," Sora conceded, yelping with joy when Mulan turned on him, puffed up her chest, and thrust out her chin in her best Shang impersonation.

"Let's get down to business, Mr. Nomura," she hissed, sucking in a deep breath and squaring her feet. Sora broke into mad giggles. When she snapped for him to stand at attention, he tried his best. Then, she paced around him with a luxuriously foul glance.

"Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?" she continued. "You're a spineless, pale-"

"Excuse me, captain, my tan is flawless," Sora crooned, knocking his neck back and fanning as if his own body heat were taking him over. Mulan gasped and reeled, firing back, "pathetic lot and you haven't got a clue! Somehow I'llllllll…."

"Make a mannnnnnn….."

"Out of youuuuu!" Mulan finished in song, throwing back her head and striking a deft pose on a nearby boulder. "Tranquil as a forest! But on fire within!" Stringing her bow in deft fashion, she aimed for a crack in the rock face ahead and let go. It landed dead center. But Mulan was having too much fun to notice.

"Once you find your center, you are sure-"

"To siiinnnnnggggg!" Sora improvised, making Mulan gasp through laughter and clap her hands.

"I'm never gonna catch my breath!" Sora shot in reply, shooting a small jot of flame and blasting Mulan's arrow to pieces.

"Say goodbye to those who knew me!"

"Boy was I a fool in school for cutting gym!"

"Did you actually cut gym?" Mulan whispered. Sora giggled guiltily.

"This guy's got em scared to death!" Mushu joined in with vigor.

"Hope he doesn't see right through me!"

"Now I really wish that I new how to swwiiiimmmmmmmm!"

"Excuse me, what in the gods' names are you doing?" snapped a voice in Chinese from behind. Mulan and Sora swiveled around aghast, hoping it was Ling or Yao, the tall and short pair of men they had gotten into a fight with on their first day at camp. Instead, Shang approached them alone, sailing over the snow as if weightless. Sora held his key blade like a shield before him. Mushu slithered beneath Mulan's jacket, making her do a strange little dance to reposition him. Then she gave a breathy chuckle and puffed up her pecks, quipping in a deep, affected voice that they were just practicing some good ol' manly roughhousing.

"It was my understanding that you and your slave were dancing and singing in a gibberish language," the captain retorted. "Despite your mission to scout the area for Huns or traitors." When Sora attempted answering, Shang pointed to his key blade and asked if it was a weapon or the key to Mulan's storehouse. Mulan's complexion turned from soft cream to lime. She blubbered in hesitation. Sora shrank and cursed himself under his breath. Shang sighed, shook his head, and whistled over his shoulder. When Mulan and Sora glanced in his voice's direction, they gaped. Khan clobbered up the cobblestoned path with a stone faced Joshua on his back. Kree-Kree curled up on Joshua's shoulder with drooped feelers. Every item they possessed was packed with care behind them. As understanding settled over Mulan's eyes, Shang set a scroll in her hand. When she realized it was her father's conscription request, she gasped in horror.

"But-" she pleaded.

"You're unsuited for the rage of war," Shang returned. "Pack up and go home. You're through. And take your... whatever these people are, with you."

"But, Shang!" Mulan cried in disbelief. When Shang turned and raised his hand to strike her, she cowered. When Sora tried advancing, Shang pointed him with a stern command to freeze. Immediately, Mulan snapped to attention. Sora followed. After granting each a vicious stare, the captain turned to Mulan and scowled.

"From our first meeting, I had my doubts," he whispered. "But I persevered out of duty. My father gave me a responsibility- to gather the soldiers the rest of China didn't want, to make them fit for duty to their country. I took that responsibility with all my heart and expect every man I commandeer to do the same. In all our interactions, I saw your love for country and family. But love doesn't win wars. Duty does. Honor. Skill. And when I witness your 'courtesan' snooping through official papers in my tent-" When Mulan and Sora shot Joshua a fierce side eye, he shrugged, unabashed. "When you fail every challenge, and when you act like a mentally deranged child around someone who is supposed to be your slave when you think no one is watching, I realize that you think this is all a joke-"

"-I" Mulan tried, biting back tears and remaining at tortured attention when Shang screamed in her face, "and when you blatantly interrupt your commander when he gives a clear command to retreat, I see that disobedience follows and engulfs you wherever you go. Tell me right now why I should not kill this courtesan for thievery of official documents on the spot."

"I wouldn't suggest trying," Joshua growled out of the corner of his mouth, just low enough for Sora and Mulan to catch. While Sora shot him a warning glare, Mulan bowed deeply, improvising that Joshua had been trying to find a way for her to impress Shang.

"I told her to look in your tent," she lied. "I- I just wanted to bring my family honor."

Shang shook his head, but though he seemed disgusted, his loosening grip on his sword told Sora he believed her. Clasping Khan's reigns and placing them in Mulan's palm, he incised, "you will never bring your family honor. And if I see you, your slave, or your courtesan within a mile of the army camp by sunrise, you will pay for them with your life!"

"She will no-" Sora started, but Mulan commanded in a surprisingly stern voice for him to desist. It took everything in her to bow. When she finished, she patted Khan's side and turned her back. Sora watched as Shang disappeared down the mountain, lost for words. His surroundings became deafening, every cricket hiss, hawk cry, water drip, and flutter of wind a drill in his ear. Finally, when Joshua coughed, Sora whipped in his direction and glared as acidly at him as possible. In return, Joshua snorted.

"What are you squinting at, Sora?" he sighed. "Your little vacation not ending like you intended?"

"It would have ended a lot better if you hadn't completely thrown Mulan under the bus!" Sora spat. Joshua's eyes bugged wide in indignation as he hissed in return, "you mean actually doing my job, Sora? Finding out where the fuck our fugitive is?"

"Well, you didn't have to sneak into the captain's nutting quarters-"

"Mulan," Mushu barked from her collar, "did one of these bozos get you kicked out of the army?"

"Maybe princess Fa got herself kicked out," Joshua minced in self-defense. "It's been a month and she still can't aim an arrow! And Sora, don't even get me started on you," he continued when Sora tried opening his mouth. "While you've been running around setting Mulan's robes on fire, I've been scouring every source possible for evidence of King Mickey's presence. I can't find a glimmer of him and I'm sick of Chinese men sneaking into _my_ tent, trying to get under _my_ skirts, and then crying to their captain when I say no."

"Well, you're the one who dressed up like-"

"ENOUGH!" Mulan roared over everyone, silencing them in an instant. Face bright red and shining, she pointed her finger towards the forest where Sora and Joshua landed the gummi ship and spat, "how dare you blame this on Joshua! This ejection is no one's fault but my own! My own shortcomings drove me back and no one else's, is that clear?"

Silence returned. When Mulan grew satisfied, she nodded, held back her tears, and croaked that it was time for her to go. "Maybe what I said about the first steps to greatness were a lie," she warbled. "Maybe I'm just useless at everything I do. So like Joshua said, I can't help you anymore."

"Excellent observation, Mulan," Joshua chirped, snapping at Sora and pointing towards the forest below. "We've got another report due to Xemnas by Friday, and if we want to make it to the gummi ship and charge our tablet in good time, we need to leave now."

"But I promised Mulan's ancestors that I'd help her!" Sora croaked. "We can't just give up now!" Suddenly, the falcon circling overhead cried again, making Sora grit his teeth and whip his gaze towards it in vexation.

"I don't care what you said to my ancestors, Sora," Mulan groaned. "I'm not even sure I believe you met them in the first place. I'm just… tired of failing."

"But, you just said," Sora started in a whine. When the falcon's cry pierced his ear again, he stomped his foot, thrust his key blade towards it, and screeched, "FIRE!" A blast the size of his head sailed from the tip of his weapon high into the air. The party watched and winced as the comet honed in on the bird, hit it square in the stomach, and burst the creature to flame. As the smoke cleared, Mushu turned to Sora in disgust, muttering, "you know, birds are real close to dragons. You could've just murdered my cousin Jessie."

Sora whimpered in guilt, biting his nails as he stared at the sky again. The bird was gone. In its place drifted a tiny, crystalline heart that floated up and burst into pink glitter as fast as it had formed. Sora's mouth dropped as he watched.

"Did the rest of you just see what I saw?" Joshua asked. Mulan's silence told Sora she had seen it, too. "What does it mean?" she whispered finally, all anger gone from her voice.

"It means-" Sora stumbled, words extinguished as his eyes drew to a fluttering black form higher on the mountain path. When it landed on a snow cropped stone nearby, yellow eyes glinting, his shoulders sagged.

It was another falcon, real enough, with large black pupils, curved beak, mottled brown and yellow fur, and yellow, curled talons. When Sora moved his head, it moved its scalp as well, goading him. When he stepped forward, it sailed up and landed several paces ahead.

"Does it want us to follow it?" Mulan whispered, closer than before. Sora furrowed his brows, shrugging that he didn't know.

"Wait," Mushu gasped from Mulan's collar, shivering as he squeaked, "is that the same falcon Sora shot?"

"No," Joshua responded for her. "This one is real. The one in the sky was…"

When he aimed a cursory glance Sora's way, the key blade wielder understood. He remembered his vision quest. Joshua had studied the bestiary provided by Vexen. But neither could have anticipated the chill that ran down their spine from witnessing the creature in real life. The real falcon rose and fluttered higher, in the direction of the forest holding the gummi ship, the forest near the path to Mulan's home. When Sora stepped towards it, Mulan stopped him. Sora's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Mulan," he said. "What if it wants us to follow it for a reason?"

"I don't doubt that," Mulan responded, pointing to the raptor with curled lip. "This falcon isn't normal. It belongs to someone."

"Who do you think it belongs to?" Sora whispered in fear. Mulan shook her head. Then, realization splitting her brow, she gasped and whipped around, crying out, "the camp!"

"What about it?" Joshua insisted as she hovered at his shoulder.

"It's in danger," Mulan replied. "Don't ask me how I know. I just feel it."

"I feel it, too," Sora whispered, realizing it as he rested his palm above his quickening heartbeat. It was a sickening dread that magnified the more he glanced between the falcon and the mountain bottom. For a moment Mulan's gaze remained fixed on the sky behind them. When purple smoke rose from the camp's direction, she gasped and charged, peering over the mountainside for a better look as she descended. Her vision tunneled; oblivious to several black, circular holes Sora had not remembered seeing on their way up. When Mulan's foot made contact with one, Sora roared for her to stop and whizzed to her side, reaching her just as she lurched back and fell over. As he picked her up, the black holes pulsed and vomited purple smoke. Blue, taloned hands slithered through on limp, purple clothed wrists, followed by glowing yellow eyes and black, crooked grins.

"Jiangshi!" Mulan hissed in terror, cowering as one hopped towards her through midair, reared its stiff arms back, and lurched its body towards her in vicious attack. Before its claws could sink into the skin of her face, Joshua flew before her and incinerated the beast in a beam of white light. Another snuck behind Sora's back. He slashed through it with his key blade without thought, freeing the captive heart within like he had the bird above. Before another could hit him, Mulan flung out her bare hands towards it. Fireballs encircled. Then, in one swift burst, the beast was gone. After the first wave was defeated, a second, larger followed, until a wall of black beasts rose like a wave before the passage back to camp. Joshua, Sora, and Mulan exchanged wide glances. Then, settled, they sprung forward together, fighting back to back with every bit of strength they possessed. Mulan shot a flaming arrow each creature's way to knock it off guard. Then, Sora or Joshua would finish it off. By the time the last creature's heart drifted into the sky, Mulan stood ahead of the party with head held high and cheeks blazing. When Sora asked what she was waiting for, she furrowed her brows. Her gait stammered. Wings fluttered behind. The falcon was close again, eyes filled with untold expression. It seemed to communicate with Mulan; shivering and clicking its talons in a language only she could understand. As she stared at it, darkness passed over her gaze.

"That's what it's doing," she whispered to herself. When Sora asked what was wrong, she pursed her lips.

"It's distracting us," she whispered. "Trying to keep us close."

"Why?" Sora asked.

"The camp's probably crawling with heartless," Joshua muttered under his breath.

"Heartless?" Mushu barked from Mulan's collar. "Those were damn hoppin' vampires!"

"It doesn't matter what they were, Mushu," Mulan said over him. "Without magic, Shang's men have no way of defeating them."

"Then we've got to save them!" Sora cried. "Every minute we waste is another person lost to darkness!"

"But what if Shang's men try to kill us?" Mulan shot back in fear. "Don't you remember his warning?"

"Mulan!" Sora snapped. "You just killed a bunch of supernatural monsters with flaming arrows and perfect aim. I think they're the ones who need to be scared of you."

Mulan straightened in shock, glancing towards Joshua for reassurance. For a moment the boy froze. Then, grinning, he shrugged that Sora was right.

Mulan nearly choked on her spit. When she stepped towards the camp again, hesitation dogging every fiber of her being, Sora clasped her shoulder and gazed into her frightened, chocolate eyes.

"The first steps to greatness are always the hardest," he whispered.

Mulan blinked at him. Then, mischief crowding her cheeks, she whispered, "we've got to be swift as a coursing river."

"With all the force of a great typhoon," Sora responded.

"With all the strength of a raging fire-"

"Okay, guys," Joshua snapped above the lot of them. "Can we cut this musical short and save China already?"

"Wait," Sora gasped, whipping his gaze towards Joshua and crying, "we can stay?"

As Joshua blubbered in indignation, Sora tucked out his lower lip, batted his eyelashes, and willed his pupils to dilate to the size of a puppy's. When Joshua saw it, he rolled his eyes, blushed, and told Sora to cut out the simpering. When Sora would not stop, Joshua's expression fell.

"So I guess I'm not going to get to turn in that report on Friday, huh?"

Sora cocked his head, grinned wider, and perched on one hip. Joshua hissed in rancor.

"You owe me big time for this."

As if sensing its plan's demise, the falcon zipped up and catapulted into the sky, fluttering into the insurmountable clouds before a single spark could fly its way. Sora, Mulan, and Joshua gripped their weapons hard. Then, pointing their gaze towards the camp, the hurried forward and defeated heartless as they went.

~X~

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 **A/N: Follow, fav, and review, please!**


	40. Mask Off

**A/N: Hey, again! Two superfast updates because I want to get them the hell out of the way and move on! Finally, things will begin to clear up! I cannot WAIT to get the next chapter out and I hope you enjoy this one- it's long but good!**

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 ** _Chapter Forty_**

~X~

The entire party trudged up the mountain together, Mulan sailing up the front of the line at Shang's side with pride blossoming from her shoulders like new magnolia buds. Sora watched as Joshua shielded her back undercover, glancing in the empty road behind for stragglers, trackers, or heartless. It had been a pleasure, watching the woman grow into a fierce warrior, intellect, and friend, emboldened by her infallible sense of good. Sora could only dream of improving as fast as she had. He had been in the Land of Dragons for six weeks without any clue as to what time he would return to the academy. And after training in the valley camp, swimming in the river, practicing magic with Mulan where the rest of the army could not see, and sharing countless uproarious dinners with Mushu, Joshua, and Kree-Kree, he did not want to know. Mulan and Mushu were becoming dear friends. Parting would break Sora's heart.

When a black glint pierced the sky, his attention snapped up. When he focused, the glint disappeared. Had it been the falcon from before? He could not tell. As he remembered the heartless he had encountered on the mountain path and at camp on their last week of training, he grimaced. Shang's words echoed in his head.

 _The capitol spoke of these same beasts roaming the mountains. I didn't believe the reports at first, but now... whom else could they belong to but Shan Yu and his masked man?_

The part about Shan Yu might as well have been about fried ice cream: to Sora, it meant nothing. It was Shang's worry about the masked man that made him think. It had to be the man in black Mulan had told him about. But something about the title, 'masked' man, not 'cloaked' man, made him hesitate. Something close to it echoed from the folds of his memory, like a forgotten event on the tip of his tongue. A bad dream. The familiarity made no sense, but then again, neither did much these days. Trekking through the Himalayan Mountains to reunite with Shang's father in a village near the Hulao Pass had consumed him completely. The only thing he saw himself doing next was marching with the entirety of the Chinese army as one, massive unit to the capitol, and in the presence of the emperor, standing firm against the advance of the Huns. Coupled with finishing his homework, finding the king, picking up as many new skills as possible, and cobbling together clues about Roxas and Riku's current whereabouts, his brain could not handle much else.

But it was exciting. "War" in the global sense was not a part of his native vocabulary. Sure, Destiny Islands had had its fair share of tribal spats, but nothing that required an entire army to defeat. The closest thing to fallout had been between the Yevonite and Al Bhed populations, and they had come to ideological compromise over a century ago. Excluding that, everyone on Destiny Islands acted like part of a single entity: waves of the same sea. The Land of Dragons was different. Unlike Sora's home world, pieced into districts overseen by mayors who met in Luca at the end of each month to discuss legislation in parliament, an emperor ruled here, not elected but decided by blood. Mulan tried explaining that his right to rule was god given: fate. Sora could not help but wonder if it was the same for the rest of the universe, like a theory Vexen had explained in biology, about every galaxy dying and drifting away one day, deep into darkness. Was it the same darkness Sora felt when he dived into the river bottom with Soddy: cold, black, and crushing water eclipsing his entire being? Everything seemed so clear-cut in Mulan's world. So reassuringly black and white. But every time Sora saw the night sky, he was reminded of how strange the universe was. And then he was back in that familiar hole, tumbling down without any way out, screaming for fate to change his course, to save his friends.

 _No,_ he decided today. _No one decides my fate but me._

He stumbled to a stop as the rest of the line froze on Shang's command. The man held up his right fist, glancing right and left over a mountain pass littered with pools of ice and snow. A harsh northerly wind seeped from its peaks, blowing the men towards the steep drop at their side. Several swayed towards the abyss, transfixed. Shang stopped them with a harsh whistle. He gazed back and forth, hesitant. Joshua whispered in Mulan's ear. Mulan whispered in Shang's. Shang lurched and peered behind him. Joshua did as well, meeting eyes with Sora and glancing to Shang in indication. Sora scowled and lumbered, elbowing his way forward until he peered up Shang's sharp cheeks into hard, onyx eyes.

"Nomura," the captain intoned. "Slave of Fa. Though all are equal in this army, Ping has stated your excellent scouting abilities."

Sora stared towards Joshua and Mulan with a dull glance. Joshua waved and winked. Mulan winced in apology, offering in an affected voice to accompany him. When Shang called for Yao and Chien Po to go as well, she barked that too many men would attract evil spirits in droves. Shang lurched back in surprise, but agreed.

"The two of you will walk ahead to scout the area," he commanded. "If there are Jiangshi, we shall take a different path."

Mulan nodded, patted her stallion, and grinned as he neighed and carried she and Joshua to Sora's side. When the three met, they hurried until they lost the rest of the battalion around the shoulder of the closest peak. Once alone, they sighed, dismounted, and trudged at each other's shoulders, glancing back and forth restlessly for heartless or nobodies. As Sora summoned his key blade and Mushu crawled from the back of Mulan's armor, Joshua groaned and cracked his neck, gathering his skirts in his arms and pulling his tablet from beneath with a sigh.

"Says on the map there's a brothel close by," he chirped, punching in the touch screen and glancing on dully as Sora hacked down a nightwalker heartless that had hopped from a puff of black smoke near the cliff drop. Mulan shot fireballs at another hiding behind a boulder until it disappeared as well. When a massive, centaur like heartless roared up from a range of rocks beside, Joshua extricated a cellphone from his sleeve, flipped it open, and beamed a startling white light through the center of its forehead, puffing the creature into purple mist. As Mulan and Sora glanced towards him in awe, he scowled and beat the phone against his palm, slipping it back in his sleeve as he muttered that his abilities just weren't what they used to be.

"What do you mean?" asked Sora, wondering if the phone granted powers to any who used it. Joshua shrugged and sighed that it was something like Sora's magic. "I found some things easier to accomplish when I was in the Land of Departure."

"That's wild," Mulan interjected. "I find magic a lot more difficult here, too. If I didn't have Mushu, I'd have a really hard time casting anything larger than a beach ball."

"You're welcome," Mushu drawled from her back. Sora mulled her words over as she patted the dragon's head. Then he glanced up with furrowed brows and an open, questioning mouth.

"Most of the spells I know, I learned on my dream quest," he said. "But the only magic I'm confident enough to use regularly is stuff that Soddy taught me."

"Who?" asked Mulan in befuddlement. Joshua rolled his eyes and explained, "Soddy being Sora's clever nickname for Ansem, Seeker of Darkness."

"Oh!" Mulan gasped in realization. Then she blinked. "Wait, he gave you private lessons? I thought you guys just chatted a couple times."

"Yes, he gave me lessons," Sora sighed in vexation, picking through the rising snow faster.

"Sora got afterschool attention from every hot professor in the book," Joshua cooed. "Ansem, Reno, Axel, Aqua…"

"Whoa," Mulan gasped with an impressed nod, making Sora blush and snap, "It wasn't like that, they just taught me a couple things!"

"I bet they did," Mulan drawled out of the side of her mouth, dodging with a giggling yelp when Sora shot a fireball over her head.

"They taught him everything he knows," Joshua added with a wink, making Sora spit in rancor, "I know more than a couple things, Joshua! For a whole month you've been questioning my abilities, and for a whole month I've been proving you wrong!"

"Actually, Sora, for a boy who didn't know about the birds and the bees until a couple weeks ago, your skill trajectory has been lining up beautifully with my hypotheses," the blond chirped, fluffing up the buyao accessories shimmering from his coiffed scalp with meticulous, accusatory strokes. Sora stuttered in confusion, wading through Joshua's mind-boggling syntax before settling on, "I'm doing good!"

Joshua winced and set his hand in a so-so gesture. "Good... but not great," he lamented, swaying across the snow as if on a bed of clouds before adding, "and next time, use 'well' for your adverb."

"Wait," Mulan interrupted. "Sora, you didn't know about the birds and the bees till a few weeks ago?"

When Joshua granted him a smug, 'I told you so' glance, Sora nearly fainted from indignation. Hacking down a standard shadow heartless with a particularly vicious swipe, he sailed to Joshua's side and peered so close that his nose brushed against the hairs of the peroxide blond's cheek. Joshua turned his head towards him in challenge, murmuring that if Sora wanted to kiss him, he just had to ask. Sora reeled back and scoffed, hissing that Joshua couldn't _pay_ him to kiss him. Joshua "oh'd" and touched his hand to his heart, drawing in an affected, staggering breath. His mouth pouted into a luscious, pink bud as his cheeks reddened. Sora gulped as he stared, tripping over a mound and yelping as he fell into Joshua's arms. When he peered into the boy's lavender eyes, they read smug.

"What's the matter, Sora?" he cooed close to his tan skin. "Cat got your tongue?"

Sora lurched away and tripped over the mound again, hissing and sputtering as he collapsed into the snow. Joshua broke into laughter as Mulan and Mushu shook their heads.

"Now that is just plain cruel," Mushu lamented from Mulan's shoulder, while Mulan clapped for Joshua and Kree-Kree bobbed up in satisfaction. When Joshua sailed towards her, wrapped her in his arms, and kissed her nose, she sucked in her cheeks in glee and said, "Well, hello, there." Joshua stifled a laugh and whipped a cool glance Sora's way.

"Am I making you jealous, yet, Sora?" he smoldered a little too effectively for the brunet's comfort. "Toying with your heart, dangling all the beautiful times we shared together in front of you while I dash to the enemy camp to make you wish you'd never mistreated me?"

"What even is going on…" Sora muttered to himself, trying to keep maximum mental and physical distance from the absurd event playing before him. When kissing sounds railed through the air, he whipped around in curiosity, stumbling over another mound and flushing violet when Joshua burst into laughter.

"Stop messing with me!" Sora whined, balling his hands into fists and stomping his foot.

"Promise to be nicer to me and I won't break her heart," Joshua threatened in a grand hiss, arms shooting out and tugging Mulan closer.

"Oh please, there's only one guy in this world that could break my heart and…" she faltered, blushing a little as she glanced down. When her gaze swept towards Sora's feet, right where the mound had been, she gasped and blanched, flying her hand to her mouth in horror. Joshua grinned in her gaze's direction, paling when he saw what she had. When Mushu caught sight of it, he cursed. Sora whipped his head from one to the other in anxiety, demanding to know what was wrong. Mulan pointed. Sora looked down.

A head leered from the snow, eyes sunken and mouth ajar, hair askew, and skin discolored, caramel like, and shrunk to the bone. For a moment Sora froze in disbelief. Then, once sickening realization washed over him, he yelped and kicked away, clasping onto Joshua as a tremor overtook his entire body. When Joshua leaned towards the corpse, Sora clutched him back and hissed for him to stay away. Joshua snorted and shot him a narrow glance.

"It's not a monster, Sora, it won't jump up and eat you."

Sora blinked and rubbed his eyes, making sure what he saw was real. An actual dead body. When he remembered the way Eraqus had looked in his office, splattered in blood, jaw hung loose, eyes distant and glazed; he winced and shook his head. But the images stayed, overlapping until a horrendous vision of a mummy in the old headmaster's shape haunted his mind. When Joshua told him to stop pinching, Sora whimpered and snuggled against his shoulder, breathing in his scent like a pomander even though the body before them smelt of nothing. Soon, horse hooves clattered behind. When Mulan turned, she sucked in a breath, put on her "man" walk, and sidled to Shang, commenting that they'd found a croaker. Now that Sora was familiar with the complexities of the Chinese language, he stifled a laugh. Shang rolled his eyes and pushed past, crouching to touch the dead man's face. When he wrapped his hand in cloth and took hold of the corpse's hair, Sora hissed and clamped onto Joshua so hard the boy had trouble breathing. To his relief, the head stayed attached beneath the snow. Shang grimaced and pushed the clumps aside, until a torso was extricated. As the head bent back the throat gaped open, revealing bone and tissue like butter mints in a torn sack. Sora stifled a gag. Joshua snarled for him to get a hold of himself. Shang nodded, prodded the body over, and rifled through the pouches lining its armor, examining the make and quality. The more time he spent over it, the more color left his cheeks. When he stood, he held back a gulp and swiveled around.

"Who is it, captain?" worded Mulan. Shang pursed his lips. Then he murmured that it was a village watchman, nothing special. "Recent," he added, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "Would've happened while my father's army was here. But perhaps... perhaps the Huns attempted an ambush and were stopped."

"Wouldn't there be more bodies?" whispered Mulan. Shang asked for silence. All complied. Sora and Joshua stared towards him as he remounted his horse, and then at each other, hoping together that there were no more heartless around. As they offered to go ahead, they heard a rousing chorus of "a girl worth fighting for" sweeping up behind them, as the rest of the army sailed along with joyous bounds, oblivious to the dead body trailing the peak of their path. As Mulan, Joshua, and Sora struggled to keep up, Shang hurried ahead like a man pursued, veering his white horse on, glancing left, forward, and right. His hoof beats thundered into nothingness as Mulan and company charged past another peak onto a snowy plain. Then, everyone stopped. A wide expanse of white, left side shielded from view by the peak they veered past, emptied before the party's eyes. The closer Sora stepped, the slower he moved. The rest of the army prepared to sing the chorus again. But when they saw what Shang rode towards, they too fell silent. Joshua gaped. Mulan gasped. Once Sora registered it full on, he grew weak in the knees.

They had stumbled upon a village. Or, what was left of one. The sky above was angry red from twilight, ash, and smoke. The snow was smeared with darkness. Black, charred remains of buildings hung in disarray, limp and dead. A bell, used to warn against intruders, clung to its burnt rope by the skin of its metal teeth, job unfulfilled. It swayed back and forth like a pendulum or a set of stringed toys over a baby's cot. At first Sora sighed in relief. The expanse emptying before him was an ink rendering: simplistic, black, red, and white, no tones, shades, or hues, just a trinity of stark opposites clambered together in gentle silence. Then, details began taking form: a mound within the collapsed structure of a home, a mound huddled together with bending, sticklike limbs and fuzzy bits of hair and cloth. The charred, collapsed forms of horses, of pigs and goats. Charcoal patches everywhere, blots that were more than blots: heads, toes, and hands, barely visible beneath ghost white bedding, trapped in fitful, crawling sleep forever. Sora noted them all with terrible, meticulous glances, unable to stare at anything else. As the party passed through the village entrance, a mere remnant of an archway, Shang commanded everyone to search for survivors. Sora jolted, stumbling through the snow to look for movement. Mulan passed him by as she drifted beneath the curtain of a once brick enclosure. Her feet stopped. Fleeing from another building mid collapse, Shang hurried to her side and dismounted. She was crouched in the snow, picking something up. A doll, perfectly preserved, its black hair and pink dress free of ash and snow, revealed itself in her palm. Shang's shoulders sagged as he looked at it.

"I don't understand," he whispered. "My father was supposed to be here."

"Captain!" Joshua called ahead, standing upon a steep hill at the village's back. Shang glanced up and hurried towards him, mouth gaping as he reached his side. When Mulan and Sora hurried forward as well, they did the same.

A sight more terrible than anything Sora had ever seen stretched before him: a never-ending valley of bodies, crumpled green and grey against white. Chinese flags dotted their backs, splintered and sagging as the wind caught their ragged remains. As Shang stared in disbelief, Chien Po, a friend of Mulan, trudged up from the nearest huddle with a gold crested helmet tucked carefully under his arm. "Your father," he whispered as he presented the helmet to Shang. He glanced away as the captain swept his hands over the metal with slow strokes. As the rest of the party clung to Chien Po's side, gazing at the valley aghast, Shang left them and trudged to the mountain valley edge, setting his sword and his father's helmet in the snow before leaning down to pray before it. Mulan stared at him with tears in her eyes, anxious yet hesitant. Then, resolved, she crept to his side, sat down, and reached out to touch him, embracing him when he allowed her comfort. For a moment Sora watched. Then he averted his gaze and slipped down amongst the fallen field, looking from one crumpled form to the next, heart lifting when he saw a rustle of cloth or heard a groan, plummeting when he realized it was the breeze or the workings of decomposition. He stumbled on for what felt like ions, yearning to call out, to tell the uninjured to stand and reveal themselves so that he would not have to search for them under the deceased. But his mouth was so dry and his mind so blank he could not say a word. He walked around in figure eights, stumbling back and forth in confusion, a ringing sound railing through his ears. When he realized someone was saying his name, he glanced up in shock. Joshua stood, a stark image of red and gold against ivory, with Mushu and Kree-Kree peeking out of his robes. His gaze was understanding but sad. As he stared, Sora shook his head.

"I don't understand," he whispered. "I don't understand why..."

"This is war, Sora," Joshua murmured. "Death is inherent."

"But why would you... _do_ that to another person?" Sora insisted. "Why do people have war at all if it means this has to happen?"

"People fight for what they believe in, Sora," Joshua said. "Some people believe so hard they're willing to kill for it."

"I would never," Sora snarled, digging his nails into his palms as he held back tears. Shock drained the little color left from his face as Joshua snorted. When Sora glanced at him in disbelief, his grin swept away and he shrugged, murmuring, "what if someone was trying to hurt Roxas, Sora? What if someone killed Kairi right in front of you? What if you had no choice?"

Sora opened and closed his mouth in befuddlement. Two summers ago, when he had first considered going to hero school, Axel asked him in a Skype interview a question much like that. He had answered easily. _I would save everyone._ But now, as he looked at the bodies crumpled beneath the snow, he felt doubt. Like this, human beings seemed so fragile, so difficult to protect.

"I would never kill anyone," Sora whispered, abandoning his thoughts. Behind him, Joshua pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Then you're in the wrong business, Sora," he murmured. Then, he trudged away. Sora stayed amongst the endless camp until Shang's whistle pierced the air. When he looked up, the rest of the troops were exiting the valley, resuming march formation as the captain swept between them.

"The Huns are moving quickly," he called, indicating a cleft between the two highest mountains as he spoke. "We'll make much better time to the imperial city through the Tung Shao Pass."

Gasps and rumbles rose through the ranks as all stared from the carnage before them to the unforgiving, snow laden peaks ahead. When Shang insisted in a mounting voice for everyone to resume position and move out, a band of men near the rear whispered and shuffled in distress. A cry rose from one, heard but not seen.

"Where are the Huns?" he called. Shang faltered on his horse. But when he turned, he rose to his full height with a hard, opaque expression.

"No doubt they are planning to march on the imperial city," he said. "Right now they will be resting. If we slip past them, we have a chance of reaching the capital and warning the emperor before they get there." Swears and curses followed. Joshua shot a pointed glance Sora's way. The boy did not see it. His eyes were clasped on the pass above. The peaks lay shrouded in mist and cloud, looming like jagged swords from cotton white ground, impenetrable and foreboding.

"Are you trying to kill us?" snapped a brave voice from the first's dissenter's side. "No one makes it through the Pass!"

"If the Huns made it, so can we," Shang called. Soon, a chorus of ill will rose throughout the troops.

"The Huns killed the entire army!" wailed one. "They're not men, they're monsters! I didn't get drafted to die in vain!"

"Death is not our concern," Shang warned. "Our concern is protecting-"

"A world that is already lost?" boomed another voice, joined soon by a mass of others howling in agreement. "The gods have spoken! How can one hundred men defeat thousands?"

"Defeat is not our-" Shang started, but another dissenter snapped, "It is my concern! I don't want to be the man captured by Shan Yu!"

"Whomever he finds, he tortures!" wailed another. "As painfully as possible, one by one so that everyone sees!"

"He makes them watch!"

"He chooses friends who are close! Sees through their hearts!"

"Torture?" whispered Sora without thinking. It was like a cloud of darkness had shrouded his body, reminding him of the way Rosso the Crimson had treated him during his first semester at the Academy, replaying their final moments together during his first week of school on vicious repeat. Then played his attempt to save Ari, when Xemnas had hit him in the back with something so painful that the mere memory of the agony made Sora sway with nausea.

"We will not give him the chance," Shang called in a spirited boom. "I shall fall on my sword before I fall to Shan Yu. Any method of torture in the world could never outweigh the crushing dishonor of a deserter."

"When fate makes me choose between dishonor and suicide," the first dissenting voice called, "I choose dishonor!" Riotous approval followed, punctuated by the drawing of swords. Soon soldier stood against soldier, shifting back and forth as they waited for each man to make a move. When one of them reared back to strike, Shang boomed for reprieve. The troops glanced towards him. Anger and bitterness sprayed his visage, bunched in a grimace against biting, bared teeth.

"No one is stopping you from going," he roared. "Any who choose to forsake their country over themselves may leave. You are not even worth the tip of my sword, because the imperial army fights only worthy opponents, not cowards!"

"We want the carriages!" called a final voice. Shang spat on the snow.

"We shall see how many men of dishonor there are first," he called. "Then, you may take all that your greedy hearts desire."

For a moment there was silence and stillness. Then, every sword withdrew. Countless heads turned, countless bodies divided themselves from their brethren and stood apart in expectation. When Shang saw the number of men who refused to fight, his shoulders sagged. If he was not on his horse, he might have slumped to his knees.

No more than twenty men, including Sora and Mulan, stood by his side. The rest huddled away, prepared to return down the mountain. Shang's mouth remained open as he stared into the faces of all of them. When he glanced to his faithful remaining troops and met Mulan's gaze, he softened. She encouraged him with a nod. He smiled. Then his expression hardened. He glanced back to the deserters and indicated for them to retreat.

"Go," he said. "There are twenty carriages. You shall leave us five and take the rest. May darkness haunt your every step."

The men in the dissenting party grumbled and spoke amongst each other, as if deciding if the deal was bargain-able. Anger coursed through Sora's veins as he watched. How could they leave their own men with so few supplies?

"You won't need more than four," one insisted. Shang shook his head, saying they needed three cannon carts and two food carts. The men snorted and shrugged. Then they demanded the woman. Sora and Mulan stared towards each other in ghost pale terror, wondering how on earth they had figured her out. But the dissenters' eyes were nowhere near Mulan's armor. They pointed to Sora's right side. When he realized they were staring at Joshua, he gasped and cried "no!" stepping forward until Shang's horse shielded him. When he lunged for Joshua's arm, Joshua swerved around him with a cool expression.

"Done!" he chirped. "The mountains never suited me, anyway." When he asked if the dissenting party wanted a slave to take along as well, they cheered in approval. Joshua grabbed hold of Sora's arm and wrenched him forward. When Mulan saw him, she grabbed his other arm and hissed "no!"

"These are my men!" she growled. "And if I stay, so do they!"

"Give us the woman and keep your slave!" a dissenter called.

"No, we come in a package," Joshua cooed, glowering at Sora when no one was watching. When the boy refused to follow, the blond bent close to his ear and hissed in a voice only he could hear, "this is not up for fucking debate, Sora. Even if you were a talented key blade wielder, no one can defeat an army of ten thousand."

"Did you look up that stupid number on your tablet?" Sora mocked, wincing when Joshua gripped his arm hard enough for it to burn. When tendrils of light shot from his fingers and made the bones of Sora's wrist ache, he gasped and begged him to stop.

"Do you want to know what Shan Yu's torture would feel like, Sora?" Joshua whispered, gripping harder. "I can show you without hardly moving a muscle. It's no way to die, and it's certainly no way to make you feel like a hero."

"Let me go," Sora pleaded through gritted teeth, wincing against the pain as best as he could. His arm grew numb and his shoulder burned as if on fire, but he continued standing, swaying as black dots invaded his vision. Joshua grabbed his right hand before he could summon his key blade and twisted it back.

"Sora," he warned, "I may not be able to defeat Shan Yu, but right now, I can destroy every living creature within a fifty foot radius. I can take them out one by one until you decide to come back with me."

"Joshua!" Sora begged, unable to say anything else from the pain. When a clear, strong voice called behind for Joshua to let go, the boy's grip on Sora's arm loosened. Someone was stepping towards them. Familiar, small army slippers trudged through the snow and stopped a short distance from Sora's bent form. When he glanced up, he saw Mulan's glower pointed over his shoulder, in line with Joshua's cool, challenging gaze.

"Joshua," she stated calmly, attracting Shang's curiosity at her change of tone. "Let Sora go."

"I've had a great time getting to know you, Mulan," Joshua cooed, "but you were cut from the academy for a reason. Unlike you, I don't condone suicide pacts."

"I will do everything in my power to keep Sora safe," Mulan insisted. "And if you hurt any of Shang's faithful army, including Sora, I will tell everyone with ties to the spirit world, and you will be found out. Whether you believe or not, that wish will come true."

Joshua prepared to say something else, but Sora surprised him into falling silent by taking his hands. When Joshua looked into Sora's face, his shoulders fell. Sora stared at him with tears in his eyes, begging.

"Joshua," he whispered. "Mulan's one of my best friends. I can't leave her to die. Please. When we get home, I swear you can do whatever you want to me and I won't complain one bit. For once, just believe in me."

Joshua pursed his lips. But his brows rose in curiosity. He glanced Sora up and down. Narrowed his eyes. With every bit of strength he possessed, Sora clasped the blonde's palms and imagined every particle of light in the universe budding in his heart. Something twinkled in his companion's gaze. Then, scowling, Joshua looked to the heavens and disappeared from his side, calling that if the boy was not in the imperial city within two days, he would scrape him off the mountain with gummi ship in hand. Sora beamed and cried with joy, scrambling to and staying at Mulan's side as Joshua led the rest of the men down the path they had come. Once they were gone, Shang turned to those remaining and looked them over. Then he gathered them together, discussed strategy, divided them according to skill, and told them to march. By the time they reached the beginning of the pass, the time had crept from day to dusk. Here, Shang turned and pointed up again.

"The pass crosses 900 li, a short but treacherous route. The longest expanse will start in one li through the largest cleft between the mountains. The Huns will be there, prepared for more imperial troops. We must be careful not to give away our location. Chi Fu, Ling, Yao, and Ping will be on cart duty for the next two hours. The rest of you will march ahead. There will be no stopping to rest. Time is of the essence now." With that, they departed.

Three more men deserted or fell behind in the next two hours. The bitter cold began getting to Sora as he and Mulan pulled the second cannon cart together. They spoke and joked under their breaths, marching shoulder to shoulder to force some warmth between them. Mushu and Kree-Kree slithered from her armor to the cart, snuggling between the cannons to go to sleep. Sora wished he could do the same. By the looks of Mulan, she agreed. Time turned to an endless loop of crunching snow and sighs until the widest part of the pass and its adjoining, endless drop loomed meters ahead. Here, the wind howled. Whenever someone spoke or laughed, Shang whipped to face them with vehemence. The silence made Sora colder than the weather ever could. His thoughts returned to the field of bodies and the dead soldier in the snow. He wondered if the man had a child. Then he thought of his own father, lost at sea when he was only eight, just old enough to have made two best friends. How many children from the Land of Dragons had lost fathers, today? How many more would be lost when Shang's troops met the Huns?

 _"None,"_ Sora promised, gripping his key blade tightly in his hand. Suddenly, what sounded like a firecracker whistled and spit behind him. Sora gasped and hit the deck, swiveling over his shoulder just as a rocket burst from their cart and sailed through the sky. Mulan stared up at it aghast. Then, hissing in realization, she whipped around to glare at Mushu and Kree-Kree. As each animal tried blaming the other, the sound of Shang's horse's hooves pelted through the snow towards them.

"What happened?" he demanded. Mulan stuttered and landed on "uh..." as she averted her gaze.

"You just gave away our position!" Shang spat, pointing to the mountain as he spoke. "Now we're-"

Before he could finish, a hissing sound tore through the air followed by a black, slicing blur that landed in Shang's shoulder and catapulted him from his horse to the ground. Mulan and the men surrounding gasped as Sora glanced to the sky in fright. When he centered in on the left most mountain peak, he tugged on Mulan's shoulder and pointed. When she looked up, she gasped.

The piercing cries of thousands of men echoed off the mountain as hurricanes of arrows rained down from its folds. Shang sat up and wrenched the arrow from his shoulder, screaming for his soldiers to get out of range. The handful remaining hurried back and forth, shouting and grunting as they groped for the carriages. When the Huns began slinging fire instead, Shang commanded them to save the cannons. The food carriages were forsaken, left to burn as the men passed the cannons from Mulan's and Chien Po's carts down the line. They set up under the protection of a short hill as the weapons veered right, pointing their dragon shaped heads upwards and lining them side by side as they passed along fire starters. Sora drew his key blade and paced behind them at a run, blood rumbling like beating hooves through every vein as he guarded against any flying metal coming their way. When a fiery arrowhead threatened to sail right down the neckline of a man leaning over to pick up some matches, he screeched, "aero!" To his surprise, the man and his closest companion were engulfed in a billowing circle of impenetrable air. Sora's heart soared. He continued at a bound, casting and guarding over every man he saw fit. When an explosion echoed to his left, he gasped and whipped his head towards it. Mulan was lugging Khan, Mushu, and Kree-Kree away from the wreckage of an incinerated cannon cart, its surviving pieces still aflame in the snow. When she reached Sora's side, she grimaced and extracted a cannon she had saved as well. On Shang's mark, they fired at the same time, hitting the mountain containing the arrow slinging Huns on all sides. He swelled with pride as he watched the mountain shudder and smoke. When it cleared, the peaks looked empty. Chien Po, Ling, and Yao cheered. Sora grinned and glanced to Mulan in glee. But she did not smile. Instead, she gazed through the smoke that had drifted over the longest expanse of the Tung Shao pass. Shang commanded silence again. Sora furrowed his brows as a black dot, darker than the rest of the smoke, rose at the valley's center. When the smoke cleared, he saw that it was a man on a horse. Two other men rose up behind him. Then two more. And more and more, until they lined the entire valley like a black snake. Thousands of men roaring and clanging drums and shields pulsed up on horseback across the valley head, the scales of the black snake bulging and coiling as if filled with mice. The Huns outnumbered Shang's army five hundred to one. When Sora glanced to the men surrounding him, he saw the little air inside escape through inaudible whimpers. Several pissed themselves, including Yao.

"Prepare to fight," Shang called suddenly, turning to face the line of men with a hard glare. "If we die, we die with honor." One by one, every man drew their swords. Sora gripped his key blade tightly. Ahead, the man leading the Huns drew a jagged sword and raised it above his head. The cry of a bird pierced the sky. Sora's eyes widened.

The falcon.

The one that had stalled them on the mountain road over the camp, the one that had summoned the heartless, the one that seemed to follow them ever since: it belonged to the Huns, to Shan Yu and his masked man. As Sora pieced it all together, his knees buckled.

Shit. Maybe he should have escaped with Joshua when he had the chance.

As the falcon swung past Shan Yu's shoulder, the man reared his horse back, pointed his blade forward, and advanced. As his men thundered approval, the black snake transformed to a blistering ebony wave, crawling down the mountain in a heap, the number of Huns multiplying at a frightening rate. There must have been ten thousand. Shang snapped for Yao to aim their last cannon at Shan Yu. Yao scrambled to it and set the man in sights. Mulan stood behind, glancing from the cannon, to the left mountain peak, to her sword, and back. Something widened her eyes.

"Ping, stop staring!" Shang commanded behind her. But she only wet her lips, furrowed her brows, and relinquished her blade.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

"Of course I trust you," Shang balked. "Now move!"

Obeying, Mulan shoved Yao out of the way, took the cannon for herself, and charged.

"Wait! Ping!" Shang screamed. "Come back!" But Mulan ran faster, straight for Shan Yu's horse's hooves. Sora leapt over the hill guarding the remaining imperial troops and followed her, screeching for her to come back. The Huns couldn't have been more than two hundred feet away.

"Mulan!" he begged. The roaring Huns and the wind on the mountains stole his voice. Shan Yu was one hundred feet away from Mulan's charging steps.

"Stop!" Shang roared, charging after her as she dove into the snow, raised the cannon above her, shoved it down, and pointed it up. Shan Yu was forty feet away. Sora aimed his key blade and roared, "fire!" A small bauble burst from the tip and sailed for Shan Yu's shoulder. He dodged it easily. Sora hissed and cursed himself, begging the gods to keep Mulan safe. She was searching around the cannon for something. A fire starter. Instinctually Sora aimed his key blade for the cannon string. Then he hesitated. What if he just blew the whole thing up? Mulan glanced behind her again, where Mushu was squawking for her to escape. Gasping, she grabbed him, pointed his mouth to the cannon string, and scraped down his sides as if squeezing toothpaste out of him. As she dropped him against its dragonhead, the flame from his tongue sizzled down the string and she aimed. Just as Shan Yu raised his sword over her head, the cannon went off, sailing over Shan Yu's scalp to the mountain that had held the archers. Sora gaped in horror as he watched it fly. She had missed. Shan Yu had been three feet in front of her, and she missed. As the cannon exploded against the mountain, Mulan grinned. Shan Yu glanced behind him and gasped. When Sora glanced up, he did the same.

The left, snowiest side of the mountain, hanging over Shan Yu's troops, shuddered. Then, island sized slabs of ice and sleet groaned from its side and thundered down, rallying up a white mist that engulfed the Huns one by one. Their horses charged back and forth in terror. In anger Shan Yu turned and raised his sword over his head. Screaming, he sliced it across Mulan's front. Sora screeched in shock, flying towards her as she collapsed in the snow. Before Shan Yu could finish her off, his horse reared against him and nearly knocked him off. As he worked to get the stallion under control, Sora ran with Mulan back to the troops, numb as she grabbed Shang by the arm and commanded him away from the avalanche. It moved like a bullet, so fast it seemed as though nothing could escape. It swallowed the Huns like ants. Before it could reach Mulan and Shang, Khan appeared at their side, sweeping Mulan over his back and riding with her so that she could grab Shang by the arm. Sora cast aero over both of them. Then he cast it over himself and charged ahead, leaving the horse for them. Before they could reach one another, the avalanche swept them up. When Sora slowed to glance behind him, he was eclipsed by endless white. Suddenly, he was knocked forward like a hamster in a plastic ball, tumbling on and on as he attempted staying as close to the surface as possible. As he rolled, something big and black passed him by, going the opposite direction. When he grabbed onto it, he realized it was wearing a saddle. A horse. Climbing up its side, he burst through the surface and met a soldier's back. Mulan.

"Sora!" she cried, eyes away as she tore through the snow. "We've got to find Shang!"

"Okay!" Sora said, clinging to Khan's saddle and whipping around with his heart pounding in his ears. When Sora saw a man twenty feet back, drifting along as if lost at sea, he screeched for Mulan to look over her shoulder. When she did, she gasped and turned Khan around, charging with him towards the edge of the mountain. Sora helped her hoist Shang up. When they had the captain over the horse's back, they turned again and rushed against the avalanche's worst surge, falling back no matter how hard they pushed forward.

 _We're not going to make it,_ a grave, wholly foreign voice echoed in the back of Sora's mind. His shoulders sagged as his eyes widened. Suddenly, he felt the salty breath of Destiny Sea, heard Kairi's laugh, Riku's scoff, and his mother calling his name. Riding in a spaceship. Fighting in a coliseum. Seeing whole galaxies pass him by. Spilling chicken wing sauce on Riku's mom's white carpet. Lying on the sand clasping hands, dreaming. The echoes of boats knocking off each other on the dock. The feeling of his father's chest as he nuzzled against him, a memory of his babyhood he thought he had lost forever. His first heartbreak. His first kiss.

Fumbling for something to keep him from fainting, he clasped the outline of Kairi's charm in his pocket. When he settled against the little welded crown at its center, he set his jaw and shook the images from his head. Just as they drifted to nothing, someone called Mulan from far off. Seconds later, Mushu surfed towards them on a Hun's shield with Kree-Kree held before him. "Look!" he said, "I found the lucky cricket!"

Mulan ignored him and set him on the back of the horse with Sora. Mushu said hello. Kree-Kree climbed to Sora's shoulder. As the tip of the mountain valley dove into an endless drop, Mushu peeked over and gave Sora a pointed glance.

"Well, key blade boy, now's the time to make good on that promise of yours," he chirped. "How you plannin' to save Mulan?"

"Mushu, shut up," Mulan warned, glancing around for anything to keep them safe. When an arrow with a rope attached flung through the air, she gasped, tied it around Khan's saddle, made sure it was secure, and placed the arrow in her bow. When Sora glanced over his shoulder, the color left his face. They were tipping over the mountain edge, rotating until the horse and its passengers lay back down, staring at the waning sky as the drop swallowed them.

"Secure everyone, Sora!" Mulan commanded, firing. Sora nodded and let his key blade go, grabbing everyone in his arms and holding them as tightly as possible. Mushu hyperventilated in his arms, peeking under the cleft of his elbow towards their imminent deaths.

"We gon' die!" he screamed. "We gon' die. We definitely gon' die. No way we surviving this. Death is coming!"

Mulan ignored him and shot the arrow over the shrinking cliff side. For a moment, nothing happened. With the last of his magic, Sora cast aero over all of them. A calm hope descended. Maybe if they caught something on their way down, they would survive. He would cast cure one by one, use the rest of his potions if need be. When he remembered he had used all his panaceas, he hissed and cursed. But he had been collecting elixirs and ethers. He would use anything. Anything to save them. Before he could think of what to do next, Khan lurched to a stop. Sora felt his brain knock around his head as he was flung towards the drop and then back up. They were still lowering, but much slower than before. Then, miraculously, they were rising through the snowy air, attached to a string that disappeared in the mist above. The cliff materialized before them. Mushu cheered at Mulan's side, ecstatic.

"I knew you could do it!" he cried, punching her in the shoulder. "You the man!" When Mulan shot him a playful glower, he shrunk. "Well... sort of." Then he turned to Sora and deadpanned, "and you were no damn help at all."

Sora gulped and glanced upwards, patting Khan to wake him up. When the horse came to, he lifted the party over the mountainside with the last of his strength and keeled over. Everyone dismounted to the cheers of the remaining army. When Sora counted, he found no more than nine. There had been seventeen when they fought the Huns. Behind him, the men woke Shang. When he opened both bleary eyes, he gazed around in shock, examining his hands, then his men, and then his surroundings. When his gaze fell on Mulan, it softened. Emboldened, he stood with effort and addressed all surrounding.

"Where are the Huns?" he asked.

"Under the snow!" said Chien Po. "Not a single one survived!"

"We'll make sure," Shang murmured. Then, his eyes brimmed with tears though his face twisted hard. "Thank you all," he said. "For your honorable service. If Shan Yu's army really is dead, this will go down as the greatest military victory in the Land of Dragon's history. Fifteen to ten thousand. With six honorable lives lost. Everyone who fought today shall go down as heroes."

Everyone sobbed and cheered. But Sora could not celebrate. He stared at the destroyed mountain feeling nothing but shame. He had failed the ancestors. He had not saved Mulan. Mulan had saved him. Gripping his hands into fists, he glanced towards her in apology. But when he met her crumpled form, he gaped. Soon, all eyes present were on her curled, wincing shoulders. As Sora dove to her side and asked what was wrong, Shang gasped over his shoulder.

"Shan Yu," he whispered. "He pierced her side."

Sure enough, when Mulan drew her arm forward to hold everyone at bay, it was dripping with blood. Her face was whiter than the snow, her lips purple as she fought to stay conscious. "It's- I-I'm fine," she whispered. "It's just a scratch."

"Like hell it's a scratch!" Yao balked from the back of the troops. "You're bleeding to death."

"Death?" Mulan choked, terrible realization clouding her chocolate eyes. When she attempted standing, she could not. Sora stared into her terrified gaze in horror, willing his mind to work but failing. Shang shoved him away and slipped his red cape from behind his shoulders, using it to staunch the bleeding. As the cloth turned from crimson to black under his grip, he commanded someone to find a doctor.

"She needs immediate attention!"

"Sir-"

"Someone do something, gods dammit!"

"You want us to cast a magic spell over her, or something, captain?" Ling squawked, tears dripping down his cheeks. "There's no time!"

 _Magic spell._ Finally, Sora's brain began to work. As he summoned his key blade and raised it in the air, Mulan's eyes widened. "No, Sora!" she gasped. "You can't interfere with the world-"

Before she could finish, Sora cast the strongest cure he could. Massive, gonging bells larger than the Twilight Town Station Tower eclipsed the entire party, sending brilliant green leaves everywhere. As Mulan gazed at the spell in awe, three white ribbons fluttered down and burst to glimmering light over her wound. Suddenly, she sat up. The spell dispersed. She stood. The army gazed from her to Sora in shock, padding their fingers to their uncut faces, pressing into bones and skin that had been broken not minutes ago. As every gaze returned to Sora in awe, he glared towards Shang in silence. Silence was all Shang could gift in return. So, clearing his throat, Sora offered to trudge ahead and confirm the dead.

"Be careful, Sora," Shang responded in a murmur. "The snow is thin."

"Use these!" blubbered Chien Po, fashioning the planks from a destroyed carriage into snowshoes. Sora tied them around his feet with the rope from the arrow Mulan saved them with. Then, after a quick bow he stomped ahead, key blade brandished and back turned squarely against the whispers ascending behind his back. The sun lowered, the ash and smoke cleared, Shang's army shrunk to the size of ants, and the wind grew colder the longer he trekked. Sora listened for the falcon, fully expecting a horde of heartless or the mysterious masked man to attack him at any moment. Did wars end this fast? Could ten thousand men die so swiftly? He searched for glimmers of life, but found nothing. The peak of the Tung Shao pass was a blank canvas waiting to be painted.

Just as he considered turning back, he felt a shudder in the snow ahead. Gasping and tiptoeing forward, he tightened his grip on his army sword and waited. A head erupted from the snow, alive this time, but covered in blood. The eyes rolled back and forth in the skull as the man spit red mucus, hacking crimson powder against the flurries, along with a tooth. He had bitten his tongue so hard he could not speak. The appendage swelled from between his lips, connected only by a tendon. Sora gulped he watched him, confirming by his hair and body piercings that he was a Hun. For a moment the man shuddered, breathing ragged breaths. Then, he slumped. His gasping stilled. The air surrounding fell numbingly cold. But Sora continued to stare, furrowing his brows. The man should have died. But there was something about him that remained. Something stirred beneath the snow covering his torso. Sora could not describe it, could barely see it, but something was waiting. Gulping, he prodded the man's cheek. It did not move. Sighing, he turned and took a tentative step. Then, whipping back, he pointed his sword and gasped. The man had disintegrated into a ball of darkness. When its tendrils ebbed, a small orange animal that looked like a giant bird's beak with a propeller attached, shivered before him. Sora felt his guard fall.

"What… are you?" he whispered, reaching forward as if to pet it. But when he saw its glowing yellow eyes and the marking on its forehead, he thrust his key blade until a heart burst from its head and disappeared with it into the air. Sora stared at the space where it had floated, jittering back and forth, waiting to see if the same thing would happen again somewhere else. But there was silence. The same silence Sora had felt when the Hun who had bitten his tongue stilled his breath. Sora stilled his own, gripping his blade handle harder and wiping the sweat from his eyes with his elbow.

Suddenly, the snow burst with black clouds, orange bird beaks clawing their way through until they shivered the snow from their backs and took flight. They surrounded Sora in hordes, propelling towards him in vicious curiosity. When a small group flitted towards Shang's remaining army at the edge of the mountain, Sora cried "no," and destroyed the lot of them in one swipe. Anger coursed through him. An echoing voice crawled towards him from where he had come. An ant sized man waved up at him from Shang's remaining troops. Calling him back. Could they see the heartless, too?

Ignoring him, Sora glanced towards the valley above, wondering if he could charge ahead and distract the new heartless just in time for the army to escape.

"Run!" he boomed over his shoulder, waiting for the word to echo. Then, flinging his army weaponry aside, he charged up the mountain as fast as his makeshift snowshoes would carry him. The heartless followed, spawning more and more until he could not see the sky. Massive, cylindrical, red and purple beasts rose with them: three golden spikes lining their bottoms as they rotated and sizzled with electricity. When their crowding stopped Sora from moving, he resigned himself. Then, feeling Kairi's good luck charm in his pocket, he channeled his anger and charged.

The orange ones went down easily. He could kill ten in one swing when he focused. It was the big ones that were difficult. Sora timed every strike, using the larger ones to destroy the smaller. The sky moved from orange to blue. Though exhaustion screamed for him to stop, he kept going, hacking as many down as he could, moving like a madman in the hopes that Mulan and her army would escape unharmed. As he fought, the feeling that something stronger was waiting dug deep. When the heartless' numbers fell below triple digits, his revelation at seeing the falcon at Shan Yu's side returned to his head.

 _The masked man._

Someone must have fed Shan Yu the darkness capable of turning an army of ten thousand into heartless. The only question was, who? When Sora leapt back from a charging cylindrical heartless and knocked against something soft and warm, he swiveled around and got his answer.

"You," he snarled, flinging his key blade forward and crying out as the being before him blocked. The figure's weapon ended in a sharp, purple jointed wing, its handle studded with a sea green, gaping reptilian eye. The strength of the being attached threw Sora so hard he landed on his back. As Sora propped himself up, his brows furrowed in rancor. There was only one man he knew with a blade like that.

Soddy. Of course he was Shan Yu's masked man. How could Sora have dreamed it was anyone else?

Yet he was killing them. Shan Yu's masked man was killing heartless, taking down twenty with each sweep. When a cylindrical one snuck behind his back, Sora gasped, jumped up, and whacked it down. The fiend swiveled to look at him in shock, thanking him with a nod. Sora grimaced as he watched him. Then, caving, he wiped his brows and scowled.

"I know you're working with Shan Yu," he insisted. "I can only guess you're killing your own heartless so you can get to me. But we'll never win if we work alone." When he mustered the courage to step closer, the fiend flinched and backed away. Sora held out his hand. "Fight alongside me now and you'll have the chance to kill me later. I'm already exhausted. It's a great deal."

The fiend faltered at his side, digging his feet back and forth. Then, nodding, he grabbed Sora's hand and shook it. Strange, familiar warmth passed through the touch, like a reunion of old friends. Sora swept it from his mind and stayed at the cloaked man's back, hacking down the remaining heartless with him. When the man hurried forward to take care of a horde conglomerating on a hill ahead, no doubt replenishing their strength, Sora copied them and cast cure on himself, watching as the fiend did all the work and his own magic renewed. With this guy, there was no use playing fair. Sora piddled through twenty more bird beak heartless as the fiend took down hundreds. When the man faltered to one knee and the heartless numbers plummeted through double digits, Sora took his chance.

"Fire!" he screeched with all his being, centering and aiming as he said the words. A ravaging bolt bigger than himself roared from the tip of his blade and sailed at light speed for Soddy's torso. It was too late for the fiend to react. The moment he turned around, he was knocked so far off his feet he sailed twenty meters through the air. The shockwaves from the strike killed every heartless surrounding. As Sora saw Soddy sit up in a tortured daze, he screamed in delight and charged towards him, casting another fire bolt and cursing as the fiend guarded and sent it sailing back. Sora guarded it at the last moment, sending it twice its speed back to Soddy. This time, the fiend struck it down in a bolt of darkness. Sora gasped as he watched him climb to his feet. Then, he gritted his teeth and gulped. He sent another fire bolt Soddy's way, shooting another immediately after that the fiend could not possibly guard. But he simply cast a magical barrier, the same kind Aqua did, that shattered both. Sora's heart fell. Soddy was ten times, twenty times more powerful than Sora could ever hope to be. His magical stamina was probably magnificent. But he was bigger, meaning he was slower. His black-cloaked glance hovered somewhere else, over the mountainside the avalanche had just destroyed. Had he been caught in it, too? Sora hoped so.

He ducked before Soddy closed in on him, guarding against his next blade charge and using Soddy's staggering to land a hit himself. The man was quick to recover. Sora barely escaped the next time he swung his blade, dodge rolling beneath and crying out as his foot snagged and fell through a thin patch of snow. After casting "aero" and guarding against Soddy's next strike, he extricated himself and stepped carefully. When he spotted another thin patch, he got an ingenious idea. As Soddy sent another strike towards him, he reversed behind and kicked the fiend in the back, causing him to stumble forward. As Soddy turned around, Sora shouted, "fire!" Another massive bolt burst from his blade and flew for Soddy's head. When the man lurched back, he stumbled and crashed through the snow. Sora cheered and cast "fire" again, watching with glee as it caused Soddy to stumble deeper. He flung his key blade for Soddy's head before the man could cast cure, hitting him square under his hood. As the key blade whipped back to him like a boomerang, he hurried forward and took several more hits, whaling on Soddy again and again until the man burst from the ice and flipped through the air. Before he brought his weapon down, Sora dodge rolled away. But he couldn't get far enough. The ice surrounding him caved in. He skipped from one falling slab to the next and scrambled onto safe ground just in time for Soddy to spiral towards him, blade like a black blur around his middle. He stunned the man when he guarded, striking him again before he could cast any magic. When Soddy's legs trembled and collapsed beneath him, he fell to the snow and cried out, voice higher than Sora remembered. Sora scrambled forward and set the tip of his blade right at Soddy's chest, gasping that it was over.

"I suppose you'll convince me that I need you alive to find Riku," Sora snarled, triumph, hatred, and giddy awe bubbling through him so strongly that he shook. His lips formed into a hiss as he used his blade to lean Soddy farther back. "But I think I can do it on my own."

Before he could thrust the blade through Soddy's chest, the man called for him to stop. When Sora heard the clear, once familiar voice wailing from under the hood, he gasped and stumbled back. The mystery man scrambled and crouched away, wiping the sweat from his brow and coughing. Sora blinked at him in wonder. That voice... it wasn't Soddy's, and it wasn't the Organization's. When he realized where he had last heard it, his eyes brimmed with tears.

"Riku?" he croaked. When he crawled forward, Riku cowered back.

"No, Sora," he gasped, stuttering, "I- I'm not ready-"

"But I hurt you!" Sora wailed, reaching his arms forward and yearning for touch, even just to see Riku's face again. When he reached for the boy's hood, Riku slapped him away.

"Sora, listen!" he begged. "You're just hearing what you want to hear! I'm not-"

"Why are you here?" Sora demanded, inching closer. "I thought you were with Shan Yu!"

"No!" Riku said. "I was trying to stop him!"

"He killed the imperial army!" Sora said.

"I know," Riku responded softly, wincing against something hurting his side. When Sora scrambled around his pocket and handed him a potion, he took it gladly. As soon as he finished, he sat up straighter. "The village at the bottom of the pass... where your captain's father was staying, I tried to save them, but I was distracted."

"You knew I was here?" Sora breathed in desolation. "Why didn't you come see me?"

"I couldn't, Sora!" Riku pleaded. "I never meant to meet you- not like this."

Sora's mind burst with questions. Had Riku spoken to the emperor? Had he seen Mickey? Soddy?

"What distracted you, Riku?" he demanded. "Was it Shan Yu? His raven? Organization XIII?"

Riku's snort of befuddlement said no. Sora wracked his memory for something else. When he remembered what Mulan had told him long before, he gasped, "the masked man?"

Riku snapped up in alarm, hissing, "How do you know about that?" Sora shook his head with vigor.

"I don't!" he insisted. "Mulan told me there were rumors about a masked man roaming the countryside, and Captain Shang told me he was tied to Shan Yu- you remember Mulan, right? Did you meet her first year?"

"Yes, I met Mulan, Sora," Riku groaned, reminding Sora to stay on target. Grinning with joy, he continued, "Up until now I was sure the masked man was you, I mean, I thought it was Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, the guy who stole your blade. How did you get it back? Did you defeat him? Is he dead?"

"Sora, you don't understand," Riku said weakly. When Sora demanded to know whom the masked man really was, his oldest friend shook his head.

"He's someone I've been chasing," he murmured. "But I wasn't ready for him. He distracted me. And this fight... it just proves that if I really challenged him, he would have destroyed me. I couldn't have saved the army if I tried."

"It's okay!" Sora insisted. "It's not your fault, Riku. Just tell me who he is! Come with me, we can take him down together!"

"I can't do that, Sora," Riku insisted.

"Why not?" Sora commanded, grabbing Riku by the coat front and craning his neck to get a look at what lay beneath his hood. "Do you not trust me?"

"Of course I trust you!" Riku insisted. He sounded like he was in tears. "But if you saw me now, I know you wouldn't want me around!"

"Ansem said that!" Sora gasped. "He said you'd changed! Did- did he tell you I wouldn't love you anymore? Because that's not true, Riku! You could look any way at all- you could look like him, and I swear I wouldn't mind!"

Suddenly, Riku looked like a child wrapped in a blanket, too frightened to come out. "R-really?" he croaked. Sora's heart thundered out of his chest as he nodded.

"Really, Riku. I'm ready."

A gentle chuckle carried from inside Riku's cloak as his shoulders collapsed. "Ready?" he whispered in sadness, shaking his head. "That's a nice thought…" His hand flickered towards his hood as if yearning to pull it down. But just as his fingertips tugged against the hem, Mushu's voice rose through the snow behind.

"Sora!" the dragon squawked. Sora swiveled around and padded towards him, furrowing his brows when he saw how horrified the reptile looked. When he asked what was wrong, the dragon shook his head.

"Mulan," he croaked. Sora's eyes widened in horror.

"What happened to her?" he whispered.

"They- they found out that she was a girl, tried to kill her-"

"WHAT?"

"But that doesn't matter!" Mushu snapped, waving his hand in front of him in dismissal. "They left her in the snow! It's Shan Yu, man! He burst out of the ice with five other men, they're headed for the imperial city and Mulan's the only one who knows!"

"Oh gods," Sora whispered. Then his brows furrowed. "Why'd you come here?"

"Well," Mushu started aghast, turning around as if asking the snow surrounding if it knew what the hell was going on. "You were chosen by the damn ancestors to protect her, weren't you?"

"Of course I was!" Sora cried. Then he grinned. "And wait till you see the guy I just recruited to…" when he glanced behind him in indication, he faltered. The snow ahead was empty. Riku had gone.

"Help," he finished in desolation, his arms falling limp at his sides as his key blade left him. Mushu entertained his silence for a moment. Then he grabbed his hand and swiveled him around. When Sora gazed down in defeat, he patted his palm and stared up with big, black bauble eyes.

"Hey, man," he murmured. "I know I been hard on you. I can't decide half the time if you is dumb as hell or a genius with self-confidence issues. Maybe you's a bit of both. I also don't know who you were just talkin' to, but they're gone and you got a job to do. So if you are as hell bent on protecting Mulan as you said you were, she needs you now more than ever."

Sora warmed under Mushu's touch. When he saw Kree-Kree bound from the dragon's tail to his shoulder, he grinned and nodded. Then, taking one last, longing glance over his shoulder, he sighed and resigned himself.

"Let's go," he whispered, snorting as Mushu cheered and bounded ahead of him.

Joshua had given him two days to get to the imperial city. For once, he was going to make a deadline with a bang.

~X~

The capital was alive with celebration. The colors of the empire, red and gold, reflected everywhere Sora set his eyes. Lanterns in every tone or cousin of the two colors, including pink, ochre, coral, soft lime, and endless others, floated by untethered by any attachment at all. Kites in the shapes of birds and fish manned by little children flew high as well, their owners yipping and hollering with joy. Citizens of every shape and size twittered and laughed in excitement, crowding together in gossip or to eat as they peered towards the gates of the massive red wall guarding the emperor's palace. Everyone was in his or her finest attire. The rich floated by on horseback and in carriages, staring out at the common folk in disgust or disinterest. Their vessels were piled with luggage, as though the individuals within intended to spend the night in the royal palace. Every young lady had her face painted white. Sora examined each festivity in fascination as he clung to Mulan's back. They rode her horse, Khan, as fast as they could, sweeping past carriages and passengers on the imperial road without qualm. There were no soldiers to stop them. All that was left of the Land of Dragons' army was the imperial guard, which was needed within the palace, not around it. Men roared in complaint as Mulan dashed in front of them, gaping when they saw that she was a woman with her hair down and face unpainted. When they saw Sora sitting behind her with key blade raised, they blinked and rubbed their eyes as if witnessing a mirage. Mushu snorted from Mulan's collar. Kree-Kree snuggled against her shoulder. Sora's fingers itched in anxiety. A sea of black hair rumbled around him, tied with brilliant ribbons and quaffed with gorgeous golden charms. There was not a blond curl to be found. Sora breathed out in relief. At least Joshua was easy to spot. Then again, so was Sora. If the boy found him, he might command him to come home before he could protect Mulan and save her world.

"Are you alright?" Mulan asked over her shoulder. Sora nodded, hissing that he just hoped Joshua was not around. Mulan frowned and glanced about herself. "I understand the sentiment, Sora," she intoned. "But don't say it too loud. You want Joshua to come out of this world alive and well."

"Uh huh..." Sora grumbled, peeping around again. The gates to the imperial city rose meters ahead. The massive red wall surrounding the palace was visible from here, along with the thousands waiting in its stone courtyard and grand, five-tiered palace steps. After riding through the city gates hidden behind a line of noble carriages, Mulan broke free and veered behind the apartments, shops, and homes inside. Their upturned roofs curled like artichoke leaves on all sides, columns painted red and decked in posters and banners of gold with coiled, crimson dragons resembling Mushu woven on their fronts. Mulan veered Khan through alleys and side streets towards the sound of applause, until they met with the main road leading to the palace gates. Drummers, trumpeters, acrobats, and men operating puppets in the shapes of Hun soldiers and dragons sailed along one after the other, enticing the children and adults watching. For a moment Sora got caught up in their celebration, laughing and glancing from float to float with glee. When a man in red robes sidled up, calling for all to make way for the heroes of the Land of Dragons, Sora's heart fell. Slumping behind him looking miserable, were Shang's troops, the number of living barely topping five. Behind them loomed the head of a massive, open-mouthed dragon with sharp teal horns. For a moment Sora's heart stopped. Then he realized the creature was only a dyed silken figure with baubles and bells surrounding its carven, puppet like face. The puppeteers manning the bamboo hoops inside remained hidden from view. They lifted and curved the dragon back and forth, snapping the string hinging its beaded jaw and shaking its head back and forth to make it look as though it was slithering forward. Sora lurched in fright as Mulan sailed towards it, wincing at the penetrative feeling it cast on him the closer he got. It was a strange, sinking sensation: similar to the first time he met Shan Yu's falcon. Only this time, it wasn't his body that froze. It was his heart. The feeling disappeared when Mulan pulled up to Shang's side. The citizens surrounding reeled in shock as Khan nudged them aside. When Mulan called Shang's name, his eyes widened and his chest leapt.

"Mulan!" he said softly. Before he had time to think, Mulan fixed him with a stern glance.

"The Huns are alive!" she insisted. "They're in the city!"

The longer Shang stared, the more his expression cooled, until he averted his gaze, commanded his horse to move faster, and snapped, "You don't belong here, Mulan. Go home."

His tone and cadence echoed Riku's when he told Sora to return to Destiny Islands. Before anger moved him to say anything in Mulan's defense, she prodded Khan and returned to Shang's side.

"Shang, I saw them in the mountains," she pleaded, gripping Khan's reigns harder when Shang's glance returned ahead. "You have to believe me!"

"Why should I?" the man snapped. Mulan stared at him aghast. Then, pulling her brows into a glower, she slapped the reigns and bolted until she blocked Shang's path completely. When he veered to a halt, she asked him why else she would come back.

"You said you'd trust Ping," she murmured. "Why is Mulan any different?"

Shang said nothing. Instead, he fixed his glance away for good, pulling around Mulan's side and summoning the rest of the soldiers ahead. As she passed Chien Po, Ling, and Yao, Mulan warned them to keep their eyes open.

"I know they're here," she hissed. Then she kicked her heels and charged Khan towards the palace. Deep, thundering drums rumbled in the balconies within. Fireworks in pinks and oranges whistled through the air. The towering double doors above the palace steps burst open, revealing a man decked in golden robes and a strange, T shaped hat. When Sora told Mulan to look, she gasped.

"The emperor," she explained under her breath, begging Khan to move faster. The horse complied with a loud whinny, rearing up and leaping over several passersby before they had time to object. When the crowd watching the parade bottlenecked between the gates, Mulan slipped from Khan's back and hurried forward, asking Sora to find a place to stable him. When she charged ahead and Mushu asked where she thought she was going, she turned and said, "to find someone who will believe me!" Then she slipped into the palace courtyard and disappeared through the crowd. Soon, Mushu and Kree-Kree followed. Sora gazed into Khan's green eyes and shrugged, hoping that the horse would cooperate with a new rider. Shimmying forward on the saddle, he pulled the reigns back. When Khan refused to budge, Sora groaned and emptied off his back, patting his slick black coat and begging him to work with him.

"Come on, Mulan needs you safe!" he insisted, glancing around for some sort of post or fence to tie the animal to. All he could see was an establishment just outside the palace wall; nearly as luxurious in its design as the building it stood beside. The lights within glowed soft and warm. Feminine laughter sailed forth, along with the sound of applause and twanging notes from some strange, stringed instrument Sora was unfamiliar with. Women in brilliant, gaudy ensembles lounged with fans on the porch, grinning at Sora as he approached, asking what they could do for him. The way they licked their thick red lips and whispered behind their fans made him blush.

"I-I just need somewhere to keep my horse safe for a little while," he insisted in Chinese. The women gasped and exchanged glances, asking where he got his strange accent. Sora flushed crimson and blubbered that he was from the country.

"I'm from the country and I've never heard the likes of you!" snapped a girl from just inside the door. "You sound just like Yoshiya-jï!"

"Joshua?" Sora squeaked in horror. The moment the word left his mouth, the girl who said his name cooed in satisfaction, calling over her shoulder for one of the girls to fetch "their new foreign friend." Then the girl turned to Sora and asked how he knew her.

"Uh..." Sora started, blushing madly. The young woman gasped.

"You're not a long lost love, are you?" she wailed, touching her hand to her heart with passion. As she draped over the building porch in ecstasy, Sora wiped the sweat from his brow and looked into Khan's eyes. "You understand, right?" he whispered in apology. The horse afforded him a dull glance, making him cower in embarrassment. Khan snorted in indignation but reared his head for Sora to go, making the boy gust out thanks and charge for the palace gates, ignoring when the sound of Joshua's voice pierced ear. By the time he slipped into the crowd lining the palace courtyard, Mulan was going from person to person warning them about the Huns. So far, none had listened. When Sora reached her side she asked where Khan was.

"He's... he's parked," Sora tried to reassure.

"Where?" Mulan asked. Sora cringed and said that it was an establishment with a bunch of dressed up girls on the porch. Mulan reeled.

"A brothel?" she snapped. Sora opened his mouth to give a spirited "no!" but hesitated on the first syllable. After all, a brothel seemed right up Joshua's alley.

"Your majesty," Shang's voice echoed from the top of the palace steps. "I present to you the sword of Shan Yu." When he bowed, the rest of the courtyard bar Mulan and Sora bowed as well.

"Shit," Mulan hissed, biting her lip as she looked around for something, anything to help her. Again, Sora's eyes were attracted to the massive, puppet dragon looming at the remaining army's back. Something felt wrong. As Shang and the emperor exchanged words, Sora tugged on Mulan's tunic until she bent close.

"Mulan," he whispered. "You know how I told you about meeting Riku on the mountain? How he told me about the masked man?"

"Yeah," Mulan shot back, eyes locked on the captain.

"He said he was chasing him but that the masked man distracted him- like Shan Yu's falcon distracted us as the heartless attacked camp all those weeks back."

"And?" Mulan snapped, giddy with anxiety.

"I think the masked man gave Shan Yu power over the heartless. I think he gave Shan Yu power in exchange for something."

"How do you know?" Mulan asked.

"I don't," Sora said with furrowed brows. "But if the masked man isn't from this world…"

"Speak English, Sora!" Mulan snapped. "Or, Chinese, whatever! Just tell me how this applies to us saving The Land of Dragons!"

"I just think that there's more to this than meets the eye. I think Shan Yu's got something huge in store for us."

"Is that it?"

Sora snapped to attention and stared Mulan straight in the eye. When she grinned, he softened and blubbered in befuddlement.

"Mulan, aren't you worried?"

Mulan gave a thoughtful cock of the head. Then she winked.

"Sora. After all we've been through? You think a half dead Hun and a man in a mask is going to take us down?"

"That's… inspiring," Sora conceded, "but kind of dismissive."

Above them, Shang stood at attention and the emperor reached out his hands. Before he could take the sword seated against the captain's palms and display the prize to the crowd, a cry sliced the sky. Something small, black, and beige dropped down, scooped the weapon up, and flew it to the palace's highest tower, where a set of gargoyle like creatures sat carven in stone. As the black flash dropped the sword through the air, one of the gargoyles reached out and caught it. The crowd below went deadly still. The figure began to rise, scalp and face illuminated in the courtyard light. Two piercing, yellow eyes and jet black, receding hair came into view over a sneer. Mulan and Sora sucked in. The citizens surrounding gasped and shrieked. When Shan Yu raised his sword, the massive, carven dragon drifting behind Shang tore open, revealing six towering men with curved blades. Two killed the palace guards while an archer drew his bow and scanned the crowd surrounding. Another pair seized the emperor and hurried him through the palace doors. When Shang commanded the remaining imperial army to advance, an avalanche of cries extended from the crowd bottlenecking the palace gates. Over their heads rose the bodies of the imperial deserters from the Tung Shao Pass, floating as if tied to the air by invisible strings. As Shang gasped at their limp, lolling forms, the sixth Hun struck him down and abandoned him once the palace gates began to shut. When Shang stumbled up, he gasped and charged after him, landing against the double doors just as they locked. As he banged against the massive portal, Chien Po, Ling, Yao, and the remaining army clambered towards him, lowering one of the stone dragons guarding the palace entrance. Above, the floating deserters burned into black smoke. From their misty forms sprung heartless.

"Son of a nutcracker," Sora growled.

The courtyard below became chaos, people charging forward and back, mashing through the gates to the safety of the imperial city, gathering children in their arms, calling for carriages, and wailing in terror. Mulan shoved past and leapt up the steps like a tiger, pushing past fleeing townspeople with Sora in tow. As the army used the stone dragon to charge the doors, Mulan and Sora battled heartless. As seconds turned into minutes, she stopped and shook her head, whispering that they would never reach the emperor in time.

"Kind of reminds me of last year's drag show," Sora huffed, "when Joshua was too sick to perform and I had to go up on my own."

"Don't remind me," Mulan chuckled, wiping sweat from her brow and quipping, "but you were magnificent." Then, her smile disappeared. With a gasp she whipped around, demanding to know the brothel where Khan was parked.

"Uh… it's right outside the front gates," Sora gulped. Mulan's eyes widened to the size of billiard balls, her cheeks fire red with a splitting smile.

"Sora!" she commanded, clapping him on the shoulders and waggling her forefinger in his face. "I've got a job for you to do."

"Which would be?" Sora grinned without helping it.

"By the time I get back, I want you to take down every heartless in this courtyard," she instructed. When she turned, Sora demanded to know where she was going. When she glanced back, she whispered, "Just trust me."

Then, whistling for Mushu to come to her shoulder, she closed her eyes, whipped her arms in a circle, and to Sora's shock, rose in the air surrounded by wings of flame.

"I'll be five minutes!" she called over her shoulder. "When you finish taking down the heartless, tell Chien Po and the gang to follow me to the brothel!" Then, she rose above the heads of every citizen and disappeared beyond the gates. Emboldened, Sora did as he was told, hacking down every heartless as fast as he could. When he finished, he hopped the palace steps two at a time, screeching and waving for Shang and the gang to listen. When they let the stone dragon collapse, Sora screamed for them to follow him.

"Unless your magic can turn back time, it's useless!" Shang gasped, trying to pick up the stone dragon by himself. "We have to save the emperor!"

Incensed, Sora aimed his key blade and fired a small bolt Shang's way, landing it right over the man's shoulder. When the captain yelped and ducked, Sora held his weapon high and smirked.

"Who do you think has the better chance of saving the emperor?" he asked in perfect Chinese. "The guy with a magic key or the guy with a giant rock?"

Shang blubbered in befuddlement, looking around for some sort of logical answer. Caving, he rubbed his eyes and asked what Sora wanted them to do.

"Follow me to the brothel!" the brunet commanded.

"Oh, for gods' sakes!" Shang snapped. "This isn't the time!"

"I sure wouldn't mind…" Yao trailed off into a whisper, whistling and glancing away when Shang shot him a foul glance.

"It's Mulan's idea!" Sora insisted. "And you have to trust her. Shan Yu doesn't play by this world's rules, so how do we expect to beat him by following them?"

Chien Po, Ling, and Yao glanced from one to the other. Then, shrugging, they grunted acquiescence and followed Sora to the brothel, leaving Shang at the gates and shoving through the crowd like a giant bowling ball until they reached the brothel steps. Joshua and Mulan were there to greet them, Mulan brimming with joy while Joshua frowned with contempt.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sora and the royal army," he said flatly, yelping when Sora shoved past him and asked Mulan what they had to do.

"Okay, everyone!" Mulan gasped, voice shuddering with excitement, "from what I saw, Shan Yu plans to take the emperor to the palace's highest tower. When we regroup with Shang, he can lead us to where that is. But in the meantime, we're all going to have to dress as women."

A pin could have been dropped and been heard. The brows of every male in the vicinity rose so far up their heads they disappeared behind their helmets.

"Wait a minute," Ling coughed. "I think my hearing went in that last battle. Could you repeat yourself?"

"It's going to be a massive drag takeover!" Mulan snapped. "The only way to trick the Huns is to beat them at their own game!"

"They got to dress up as a dragon and we have to put on dresses?" Yao snapped. "I don't care how many Huns storm the city, I ain't fakin' a lady for nothing!"

"Me too!" cried Ling.

"I admit, I'm not the most comfortable in loose fitting skirts," Chien Po reasoned.

As Mulan's shoulders fell, Sora stepped forward with head held high.

"What's so wrong with putting on a dress?" he snapped. "Joshua's a guy in a dress and he's tricked you all this entire time!"

Everyone, including the brothel inhabitants, stared at Joshua in shock. The blond blushed and bowed, wheezed out a nervous, apologetic laugh.

"The way you dress has nothing to do with how much of a man your are!" Sora continued. "Take me! I could beat all of you blindfolded and I don't mind wearing a dress one bit! In fact, armor me up, Mulan! If no one else will help you save China, I will!" With that, he sat cross-legged in the center of the floor and waited. Shang's men stared from one to the other. Chien Po stepped forward first. Then Ling. Finally, Yao. The prostitutes watched in awe as the men traded their armor for dresses, giving them fruit to put in place of breasts and painting their faces for them. Once they were done preparing, they trundled out one by one, practicing their walks as they went with Mulan sailing ahead and Sora guarding the back. When Joshua traipsed to his side, he blinked in surprise. The boy glanced towards him and snorted.

"What?" he asked. "I can't leave you to mess this up all on your own."

Sora gaped. Then he grinned and asked how Joshua had evaded the imperial deserters on the mountain.

"I inspired them to drop me off at the brothel nearby," he sighed. "They were so drunk when they left they didn't even notice I was missing."

"Then you didn't see them turn into heartless?" Sora asked. Joshua whipped towards him in shock, confirming Sora was telling the truth by the look in his eyes. When he was certain, he sighed and shook his head, murmuring that maybe he should have stuck with Sora after all. By this time, the courtyard was abandoned save for Shang. When everyone regrouped, Mulan commanded all to climb the columns to the third floor balcony. One by one, everyone whipped off their scarves and circled them around each pillar. Even Shang joined in, blushing when everyone stared at him with smug grins. Then they climbed, crawling over roof after roof and slipping together into the hall guarding the walkway to the gargoyle tower, where if Sora squinted, he could see the glint of Shan Yu's sword and hear the cry of his falcon. As Mulan peered around the corner to the four Huns guarding the closing walkway doors, she asked if anyone had questions.

"Will this seduction plan work if the Huns are undead?" Sora whispered. Mulan faltered, reasoning that it was the best shot they had.

"Does this dress make me look fat?" asked Yao. Ling slapped him in the back of the head.

"Okay, everyone, I need your best sissy walk on the count of three!" Mulan hissed, holding up three fingers. "One, two, three: serve!"

Everyone bar Shang waltzed out together, twittering and laughing amongst each other in high-pitched voices, fans hiding any five o'clock shadow or trembling chins. The Huns guarding the walkway doors faltered and furrowed their brows, whispering to each other about concubines. When one of them waved at Ling, the apple that had created his right breast tumbled to the floor, rolling out between his legs and landing at the left most Hun's foot. When the man picked the apple up and handed it to Ling with a gentle bow, Ling giggled. Everyone reached into the front of his or her robes. Ling pulled out a second apple. Chien Po pulled out two watermelons. Yao pulled out an orange and a banana. Then, they pounced on each man; smashing them with the fruits and making them tumble in confusion. As Mulan used the archer Hun's bow to strangle him, she commanded Shang forward. He shoved through the doors and up the tower walkway just as Shan Yu pointed his sword at the emperor's throat. Before the Hun leader could attack, Shang burst through the door guarding his back and parried Shan Yu's strike. Mulan and the rest of the army followed, Chien Po sweeping the emperor over his shoulder and using the string of lanterns overhead to zip line him to the safety of the courtyard. Soon, Yao and Ling followed. As they cheered below, Shan Yu choked in shock and leaned over the balcony in rancor. Then, curling his hands into fists, he thrust Shang up by the collar of his armor and raised his jagged sword behind his head. "You took away my victory!" he hissed. Before he could strike, a fire bolt to the cheek stopped him. Hissing, he dropped Shang to the ground and whipped around, meeting Mulan's fierce gaze.

When he recognized she and Sora, his eyes widened and flashed. Then, to Mulan's surprise, he grinned. "The soldiers from the mountain," the Hun hissed, darkness seeping from his shoulders as the yellows of his eyes intensified. When he shot a purple bolt at Mulan's chest, Sora parried it with his key blade, snarling for him to stay back. When Shan Yu saw the bit lining the weapon's end, his eyes widened again, this time with glee.

"The kingdom key," he hissed. "I was told of your coming by a dark brother of yours."

"Your masked man?" Sora gasped, trying to keep his voice from trembling. Shan Yu grinned deeper.

"Or perhaps I'm remembering wrong," he explained. "I expected you to be… _shorter._ "

"Start making sense," Sora spat, gripping his blade close. "Tell me what your masked man said about me and I'll tell you whether he's an idiot or a fraud."

"He told me to lure you in," Shan Yu sneered.

"In exchange for what?" Mulan called over Sora's shoulder.

"This," Shan Yu hissed. Behind him, his falcon began to burn, whipping through the sky at a frenzied pace, feathers dripping off as it cawed. As it reached the courtyard center, it exploded in a puff of black smoke. When it cleared, a massive, blue dragon with cymbals for legs, translucent white wings, and red rooted horns sprouting all over its back roared from its place. When Sora saw the heartless symbol on its jagged golden chin, his legs went weak. Something knocked him off his feet. Two pairs of pale legs charged past. Lavender eyes pierced him with contempt.

"Get your head out of your ass and help me defeat that heartless!" Joshua spat, pointing from the gaping walkway doors to the dragon raining exploding lanterns over the courtyard below.

"But Mulan!" Sora said, craning his glance over his shoulder just as Shan Yu engaged her in battle. When nobodies sprouted from thin air around her, Sora gasped and advanced, stepping from her to the heartless in indecision. When Shang's voice called his name, he glanced around in surprise. The captain staggered up and leaned against the column nearest, cocking his head in acknowledgement.

"Sora," he commanded. "There's no time to waste. If you can't believe in your fellow soldiers, you can't believe in anything. Believe in Mulan, and do the job you were born to do."

That last phrase shocked Sora to tears. As he croaked that he had made a promise to Mulan's ancestors, Shang held up his hand for silence. Sora stood at attention.

"You trusted Ping," Shang said softly. "Why's Mulan any different?"

Eyes widening to the size of puppy shaped saucers; Sora clasped his hands over his heart and prepared to bow in thanks. When a shoe knocked into his head, though, he turned around and remembered that Joshua was waiting for him.

"If we don't defeat this flying cannon in ten minutes," the blond warned, "you owe me."

Sora blinked, glanced towards Mulan again, and grinned. With a nod, he took Joshua's hand. Then, they jumped from the balcony together, landing on the heartless dragon's back and letting destiny do the rest.

~X~

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 **A/N: Follow, fav, and review, please! My favorite thing is hearing from you :)**


	41. The Ends of the Earth

**A/N: Hello! I'm finally back with this story... it's been a hell of a ride and a bitch to keep up with, hence the unforgivably long hiatus. I'm so glad you guys are still interested. Guest, I'm sorry there is no great Heartless battle sequence to finish off The Land of Dragons (it's implied!) but this chapter would have been WAY too long if I'd put it in (and there's more important stuff I want to get to!) And R12, funny enough, I haven't played KH3 yet! (I'm so jealous of everyone that has!) I just moved across the country and I was unemployed for a while so was really worried about that! I'm trying to find spare time for this because I really want to see it through to the end! Hope you enjoy this one, it's nice and long!**

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~X~

 ** _Chapter Forty One_**

~X~

"You must be swift as a coursing river," Sora sang under his breath as he lounged against the mattress on the level below the gummi ship's cockpit. Joshua piloted above, humming as he dodged meteors, gummies, and other space rocks.

As Sora finished filling his bestiary with all the new heartless he had met throughout his two-month stay in the Land of Dragons, he asked Joshua where they were headed next. When his submission came up with an error sign, he clicked on the exclamation point icon and read through the issue in stupor.

 _Error! Only new entries will be accepted to the Bestiary._

Sora furrowed his brows, wondering if he had somehow entered in the Land of Dragon's heartless already.

His tablet had been out of battery for five weeks and entering in heartless before he had even met them was impossible. When he clicked out of the error message and scrolled through what had been put in the bestiary already, his jaw nearly dropped to the mattress.

Emerald Blues, Assault Riders, Nightwalkers, and even Rapid Thrusters and Bolt Towers, the heartless Sora had fought with Riku in the Tung Shao Pass, were already there.

"How the absolute fuck!" he barked, slamming his fist into the mattress in panic.

A delighted giggle railed from the cockpit above, cooing for Sora to watch his language.

Sora ignored it and glanced through the entries for the thrusters and towers.

To his relief, the only locations marked for both were Port Royal and the Pride Lands, two places wholly foreign to Sora.

In rancor he added to the entries for both of them, typing in that they had appeared from the bodies of defeated Hun soldiers in the Tung Shao Pass, Land of Dragons. In dejection he typed and submitted an entry for Storm Rider, his name for the dragon heartless Shan Yu had summoned to distract Sora as the fiend fought Mulan. Then, defeated, he scrolled back through the rest of the Land of Dragons' heartless, lamenting the fact that he had been unable to christen the horde in the pass. He would have called them Lightning Beaks and Snappy Cylinders.

"Joshua!" he called, unable to sit in silence any longer. "Something's wrong with my bestiary!"

 _"Your_ bestiary?" Joshua snorted. "Don't you mean _our_ bestiary?"

"No, I mean _my_ bestiary, Joshua," Sora snapped. "As in the digital bestiary _I_ was given to fill out at the beginning of our journey!"

"Sora, you do know Xemnas pooled everyone's bestiary into one, right?" Joshua intoned. "It's like a Wikipedia for heartless. Any member can make entries."

"What?" Sora snapped. "How's Xemnas supposed to grade us if it belongs to everyone?"

"It's like a group project," Joshua responded in disinterest. "Participation is calculated by data accrual."

"What?"

"The team that enters the most heartless gets the highest grade."

Sora whipped through the bestiary in terror, hunting for submission names.

Kairi had entered a mountain of heartless: Lion Dancers, Cloudy Surprises, Festive Fireworks, and Armed Warriors. Nimo had submitted Emerald Blues, Bolt Towers, and Swordsmen. Joshua had submitted Lion Dancer Headlines, Large, and Huge Fireworks, Assault Riders, and Nightwalkers. Sora sighed in relief when he saw his own name beneath Storm Rider. At least he and Joshua had christened the most.

As he glanced through ones he failed to recognize again, he snorted. "What in the nut is a cloudy surprise?"

"It's a heartless that hides in the shape of a cloud with a little tree peeking out of it," Joshua chirped. "Very cute. Kairi must have found it around the outskirts of the imperial city. You know she spoke with the emperor, right?"

"What?" Sora barked, aghast. How the heck had he missed that?

Joshua scowled above as the ship veered left. When he fell silent, Sora climbed to his side and asked him to repeat himself.

"Sora, the emperor practically told you," Joshua snapped. "As he gave you that dragon charm, he winked and said he'd spoken with a few key wielders like you already. That's why he turned sort of cold after you didn't laugh or seem interested."

"He was cold?" Sora whispered.

Joshua groaned and rolled his eyes. "You are so thick," he muttered. "You're thick _and_ you're a bad listener."

"I'm not!" Sora cried, thrusting up the emperor's charm and firing so close he almost tumbled over Joshua's lap. "I was just admiring what he gave me! What's the harm in that?"

"The harm isn't in the admiring, Sora," Joshua intoned. "The harm comes when you zone out."

"I do not zone out," Sora muttered. "I just concentrate on one thing at a time."

"No one concentrates on any 'one thing' for as long as you do, Sora," Joshua warned. "Any point of interest takes you out for at least five minutes."

Sora leapt away from him and moved back to the ladder, murmuring that he was not an idiot.

"I'm not saying that, Sora," Joshua insisted. "I was with you every step of the way when you defeated that dragon heartless of Shan Yu's, and you multitasked very well. But you've got to practice awareness outside of the battlefield as well as in it."

"I _know_ that," Sora whined, begging Joshua to end the conversation with a disgruntled whimper.

Joshua scoffed and shook his head. Then he perked up and gave a devilish grin. "Remember, Sora," he sang. "You said you'd do anything to buy a little extra time in the Land of Dragons, so if I say for you to shut up and listen, you'd better do it with a smile on your face!"

"But Joshua-" Sora mewled.

Joshua snapped up his palm for Sora to desist. "I have made a lot of sacrifices for you this semester, Sora," he intoned. "I got into trouble with Xemnas, I missed all of my midterms-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Sora gasped, clambering back up the ladder he had begun descending. "Midterms?" he screeched.

Joshua scoffed again. "Sora, you do know it's the end of April, right?"

"THE END OF APRIL?"

Sora paced the cockpit back and forth in terror, running his fingers through his hair and swirling around and around on helpless repeat.

His mind had stalled and jumbled. His limbs shook and moved of their own accord. He sweated in strange places, behind his knees, on the inside of his elbows, down the nape of his neck, and between his fingers and toes. No matter how much he tried stilling his breath, it came out in a high-pitched whimper.

When had the midterms been, anyway? Was there any chance of making them up? When Sora realized LGBTQ usually did the Drag Show around club midterms, he gasped in desolation, plummeting to the ground and crying out as if he had been mortally wounded. When Joshua asked what was wrong, Sora wailed that he had failed Coco.

"What? Why?" Joshua snapped.

"I missed the drag show!" Sora hiccupped, clutching back a sob. When Joshua told him that the entire school was either in dream pods or off saving the world and that the drag show was annual, the brunet brightened up. But only a little bit. He had to have missed _something_ important...

"Sora, how about we worry about midterms later?" Joshua sighed. "I already contacted Xemnas and he gave us a special assignment. If we complete it before Monday, we'll get an A."

"Really?" Sora gasped.

Joshua nodded and grinned. "Really, really," he murmured, careening the gummi ship to the right.

Sora rubbed the back of his scalp in thought. Then he asked Joshua what they had to do. When the boy murmured that they had to see if Mickey was at Disney Castle, Sora scoffed and asked what was so special about "Disney Castle."

Joshua glanced up at Sora in incredulity. Then he intoned that Disney Castle was where King Mickey was born and raised. "You did read the biography of the person we're trying to catch, right? We've already been quizzed on it."

Sora blushed and stuttered in befuddlement, deciding not to tell Joshua that he had only read Soddy, Riku, and Roxas' biographies. When Joshua's second utterance, the fact that they'd 'already been quizzed on it,' locked in his brain, the color left him. He jumped on his tablet and scanned around, glancing through every tab to see what on earth he had missed.

When Joshua saw what he was doing, he scowled and snapped that Sora would never find his assignments that way. "They've made a new app for it, you have to download it in the app store."

"Why are they changing all the rules?" Sora hissed, jabbing on his broken screen with feverish strokes. When a piece of glass fell out onto the cockpit carpet, he yelped and backed away, nursing the electronic in terror. "First we get a bestiary of our own, now they pool everyone together and it's a free for all to see who can enter everything in first, then they make a freaking homework app- everything is happening so fast!"

"Sora, you haven't turned on your tablet for a month and a half," Joshua snapped. "Time equals change. Especially long swaths of time."

"Well, did _you_ check _your_ tablet?" Sora snarled. "Why didn't you update me on everything that was happening?"

"Sora, it's not my job to update you on what you should be doing already!" Joshua barked. "Just because my magic involves manipulation of technology doesn't mean you can treat me as your personal computer."

"Well then I guess I'm just fucked," Sora squawked through tears, flipping back to the bestiary in desperation. "I can beef out our numbers if I put each of the Hun soldiers as heartless, let's see, there was bow and arrow guy, meaty man, Mohawk-"

"Don't even think about it, Sora," Joshua tried, but Sora continued, "Here, what should I put Shan Yu down as, a heartless or a nobody?"

After Mulan defeated Shan Yu, the fiend had collapsed into pixelated mush and disappeared without a crystalline heart coming out of him. His last words had been, "the masked man lied." Though that admission and the foreboding comments about the kingdom key should have perplexed Sora the most, all he could think about now was how toast he was when he got back to the academy. But in the middle of his feverish grumbling, his brows raised in surprise.

"I didn't know you could manipulate technology."

Joshua stared at him like he had four eyes. Then he shook his head, swiveled back to the view outside the ship, and repeated his previous mutters about Sora being thick. "Just forget about the bestiary and help me find Disney Castle," he demanded. "That's my first wish."

"Wish?" Sora said.

Joshua nodded. "You said you'd do anything for me, and this is the first anything I want you to do."

As the words puttered over Sora's eardrums, he gasped in realization. Then he sidled to Joshua's side with a smug grin.

Joshua blinked up at him in suspicion, narrowing his eyes as he glanced away. When he asked what Sora was so happy about, Sora shrugged.

"I just figured something out," Sora drawled with a smug cock of the head. "You know, despite how _thick_ I am."

"And what did you figure out, Sora?" Joshua cooed thorugh a chuckle.

Sora shrugged, murmuring, "just that when I said I'd do anything for you, I only meant one thing, not that I'd do any multiple things for you forever."

"I know that, Sora," Joshua beamed.

Sora's smile faltered. "You did?" he whispered.

Joshua nodded. "Yep!" he giggled. "That's why I called my first request my first wish."

"Oh," Sora said in disappointment, slipping off the gummi control panel and wandering back to the ladder.

"It's what I've been talking about from the very beginning, Sora," Joshua crooned. "Give and take, the basis of any relationship. And if you do a really big take, you've got to have a really big give ready in your back pocket."

"Uh huh," Sora muttered.

"So my first wish is for you to help me find Disney Castle in the next five hours," Joshua continued. "My second wish I haven't decided yet."

"Second wish?" Sora barked. "Where did your second wish come from?"

Joshua cleared his throat and pulled his chin up. "My first wish came when you asked to return to camp," he said smoothly. "My second wish came when you asked to help Mulan fight the Huns."

"What about when you let me join the army in the first place?" Sora asked.

Joshua's brows raised in amusement. "I don't remember you telling me you'd do anything for me if I gave you that, but now that you mention it, I guess I'll make that my third wish!"

"Nuggets..." Sora snarled, kicking himself for saying a word. He really had to learn the virtue of withholding information until the right time.

"Now Sora, I need you chain down your tablet, buckle up, and prepare to man the laser," Joshua crooned. "Because I have a feeling things are about to get ugly."

They were pulling towards a strange, blue and white formation of what looked like space rocks. The closer the gummi ship got, the more Sora realized that the formation might have been manmade. As they passed sweeping metal, meteor, and gummi block structures molded into various geometrical shapes in a sort of crisscrossing passageway, he furrowed his brows. Some of the structures moved back and forth like spinning tops or revolving doors. When two inched apart to reveal a tunnel, Sora gasped in curiosity and leaned close to the glass. Joshua's brows furrowed as he peered into the passage as well.

"By the architecture, it looks like we're close," he whispered, veering back and circling the strange structure.

Sora furrowed his brows and examined the blue and white shapes from all sides. When he glanced at Joshua again, it was with a look of dubiety.

"What is it, Sora?" Joshua asked.

Sora pursed his lips. Then he murmured, "so... you're saying there's a _world_ in that thing?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous," Joshua insisted. "But these are the directions Xemnas gave me. He said that once upon a time, every world in our galaxy was separate until a key blade wielder revealed its path to the public. Since Mickey's one of the greatest wielders of them all, he's able to control who comes in and out of his world."

"What, does he have a gate code or something?" Sora barked. "I know as much about the guy as you do!"

"You're a wielder of light, Sora," Joshua insisted. "Out of all the academy's students, you spoke to him the most."

"He didn't like me," Sora countered. "He wouldn't even take me on as an apprentice."

"Well," Joshua sighed, twirling his curls around his fingers in consternation. "Well, this is my first wish!" he settled in a bark. "So you'd better make it come true!"

Emboldened, Sora stared towards the blue and white structure and narrowed his eyes, asking Joshua if Xemnas had given them any clues. Joshua shrugged.

"They got hold of someone but couldn't get much information out of him," Joshua explained. "All he talked about was the library and this cornerstone they keep in the castle that's supposed to guard it."

"Hmm," Sora said to himself. His eyes widened. His mouth opened. When he asked Joshua if he could pilot the ship, the color drained from the blond's face.

The blond grimaced, asking if Sora had to.

Sora nodded.

Gulping, Joshua rose from his seat and tiptoed to the chair with the laser compartment.

Sora snuggled down in his place, situated himself, and got hold of the controls. Then, he steered the ship around. Joshua's breath sucked in through his teeth. Sora circled the blue and white structure for an hour, testing and reacclimatizing himself to all the ship's controls. When he felt sure of his own ability, he veered towards the tunnel entrance. When its guarding slabs moved apart completely, Sora dived in.

Joshua yelped as the alarms in the gummi ship began going off. When Sora asked what was wrong, Joshua gulped that the radar must have read the blocks surrounding as a malevolent entity. "It probably views anything not native to space as heartless," he pinched, clutching the sides of his seat for dear life as he peeked through one eye.

Sora nodded and followed the tunnel, repeating the few clues Joshua had given him over and over. When none stuck, he decided to go with his instinct. When he got close enough to a corner to slam into it, he veered a hard left and traveled along its side. Joshua was thrown back and forth with a howl. Sora commanded him to check that his seatbelt was secure. When he checked his own, he veered another corner a hard right. Joshua wailed again, whimpering when Sora righted the vehicle. When Sora veered again, the blond slammed his fist against the passenger seat and hissed, "Sora, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I'm following the corners!" Sora said, veering again and making Joshua shut his eyes in terror.

"Why the fuck do you need to follow the corners?" Joshua growled, moaning when Sora took another sharp turn.

Sora scowled and stuck out his tongue, whispering that he was just trying something out. After five more corners made the hazard lights in the ship go off, a voice came across the speaker saying that the ship would come to an emergency stop for one hour if the wheel and radar were exploited past normal capacity.

"Sora!" Joshua begged, snarling and howling in rancor.

Sora ignored him and crossed his toes, hoping a shortcut would open up soon. When another corner, so narrow and so close to the opposing wall that the ship would certainly crash if they veered against it, came within view, he wiped the sweat from his eyes and gritted his teeth, summoning his key blade, turning the gravity shield within the ship off, and letting the blade float through the air above him. When Joshua roared for him to slow down, and when the gentle, warning voice overhead repeated, "stop, or you shall be stopped," Sora slammed on the accelerator, gripped the wheel in his hands, screamed at the top of his lungs, and veered the hardest left he could.

"Commencing emergency stop," the voice overhead continued, "In three..."

As the ship spun and drifted to the side, its armor destroying itself as it ground against the opposing wall. Sora's key blade glowed above his head, and a light shone against the wall they careened towards without control.

"Two..."

When Sora realized the light was in the shape of a keyhole, he grabbed his key blade, pointed it forward, and shut his eyes as a blinding bright ray exploded from its tip. The wall was meters away. The voice overhead counted down to one. Beaming white light engulfed the entire ship. Sora let his weapon go and braced himself. Then, there was a rush in his ears, like the sound of an encroaching wave.

His stomach dropped. His head lurched forward. His ears popped with a sudden, jarring dip in pressure. Then, the ship slowed. His surroundings stilled. Sora chanced an eye open.

Deep black space surrounded them, unencumbered by the white and blue structure they had just dashed through. When Sora swiveled around and looked behind the ship, there was nothing there. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Had they just warped to a new galaxy?

"Holy fuck," Joshua croaked, clutching his shaking arms around himself.

Sora chuckled ahead of him, patting the gummi control panel in affection as he peered deeper into the endless abyss ahead. When he noticed another blue and white object orbiting in the distance, he furrowed his brows.

"Commencing computerized inspection," the disembodied voice over the gummi speakers announced. "Speeds and turn angles over the suggested amount per computerized inspection guidelines will result in immediate temporary shut down of all gummi services and shall be recorded in the gummi data log."

"Bite me!" Sora cheered in response, pressing the ship as slowly as possible to the blue and white object approaching.

When Joshua sat up and noticed it too, he blinked in shock. Then he gasped, "Is that a castle?"

Sora peered at the sphere more closely. Details came into view as he looked. Turrets, towers, gates, gardens, walls with battlements, flags, and windows, lopsided houses with red and teal roofs and golden, cobblestone paths between. Surrounding, an endless meadow of green with a racetrack and spinning pillars of air indented into it. There was no crest emblazoned on the flags. They were triangular, orange, and bare. Still, Sora had a clear feeling of whom they belonged.

"Disney Castle," Joshua whispered in surprise.

Sora grinned and let his key blade disappear, pointing the ship towards the world and creeping up to it at a snail's pace. Before the hazard lights could go off again, the ship's controls shut down manually. Sora gasped as the engine stilled, flying his hands from the wheel and snapping over his shoulders that he was going as slow as he could and that he had hardly touched the controls at all. When Joshua tried checking the suggested speed and turn angles for computerized inspection, his tablet shut off as well. When he realized why, he gasped in wonder.

"Sora!" he called. "The ship didn't turn itself off. _That_ did."

Before Sora could ask what, the ship was pulled by an invisible force towards a circular hole in the world's rear. As soon as they straightened beneath it, their ship was dragged up until darkness surrounded them on all sides. When Sora summoned his key blade and used it as a light, all he saw surrounding the gummi cockpit glass was red brick, as if they were falling up a well. Instead of the bottom being water, it emptied onto a set of red and yellow metal doors that slid apart to reveal a sea blue chamber with an unearthly glow. Once the gummi ship was inside, the doors shut and the ship landed of its own accord, resting five feet off the ground, just enough for Joshua and Sora to slip through the bottom without having to hunch over. As they packed their bags and made sure everything was in order, they climbed down the ladder and unlatched the circular hatch between the engines, valves, circuits, and power connectors. Then, jumping onto thick metal ground, they glanced around in awe.

They were in some sort of hangar. It was dark. Most of the lights were off, save several blinking red ones and one glowing lantern above a set of stairs to a Dutch gable, electric blue awning, behind which there appeared to be a door in the shape of a crown.

Sora and Joshua shared an ominous glance. Then, they tiptoed towards the steps and lumbered up them.

As Sora passed, he glanced up, noticing with glee an endless array of yellow pipes, machines, tubing, a sigil in the shape of a mouse's head, and massive, mechanized, white gloved hands. As one hand jittered so much it looked like it was waving, Sora murmured that this was Mickey's home through and through. There was even a cuckoo clock with a figure in the shape of a mouse at its center. When Sora reached out to touch it, a sharp, high-pitched voice commanded him to stop.

Sora whipped his gaze in the voice's direction, seeing nothing but darkness. Stepping back and summoning his key blade in fear, he glanced around and tried aiming where he heard the voice, hoping that he had not stumbled upon a ghost. When the voice snapped for him to look down, he glanced at his feet and gaped.

A chipmunk the size of his hand, in a little yellow apron buttered with grease, glowered up at him with his paws on his hips. "Just who do you think you are, parking where you don't belong?" the tiny fellow snapped, wiggling its black snout ominously. "This gummi hangar belongs to the king!"

"Yeah!" called a throatier voice close to Joshua. "Did Mickey tell you you could stay here?" It belonged to another chipmunk, this time with buckteeth and a large, red shaped nose.

"Well, that's actually what..." Sora started, but Joshua stepped ahead of him before he could finish.

"Is Queen Minnie available?" he murmured coolly.

The chipmunk with the black snout lurched back in shock, curling its paws into fists while it demanded, "what's it to you?"

"Our business is of no concern to you," Joshua said. "If you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way."

"Like hell you will!" snapped the chipmunk with the black snout, jumping before Joshua's feet and flinging its arms out on either side. "You're not coming up here without a fight!"

Joshua scoffed in pity, preparing to step over the chipmunk's head. Before he could move a muscle, a trilling, bubbly voice echoed from the door behind the awning.

"There's no need to fight!" it sang. "I'm right here!"

Everyone looked up at once. The chipmunks gasped and bowed. Sora glanced to Joshua in concern, not knowing quite what to do. When Joshua bowed, he did too. The being greeting them chuckled and told them they were too kind. When she approached their side, Sora grinned. She couldn't have been more than four feet tall.

She was a mouse, a hair shorter than Mickey; with a tufty curl on the peak of her head, below the crown between her massive, circular ears. She wore a floor length, silken pink dress and white gloves. Her tail flickered behind her warily, but her smile drew warm and welcoming as her cozy, dark eyes. When she asked for her guests' names, Joshua and Sora introduced themselves.

When Minnie heard Sora's name, she cried in delight and clapped together her hands. "Sora!" she cooed. "The King spoke a great deal of you! It's so wonderful to finally meet you!"

"He did?" Sora whispered. "When? What did he say?"

"Well, the last time he spoke to me was two months ago. We write a great deal of letters back and forth," Minnie explained, waving her hand in indication for them to follow her.

When they passed through the door under the awning, they stumbled through a hedge into the center of a massive, rectangular garden bordered by open air, periwinkle blue halls with red carpets. A large bear at the back of the garden fumbled with a pair of shears around a hedge in the shape of a duck, reminding Sora of his own abysmal efforts at shearing the shrub sculptures in the academy's maze last summer. When Minnie asked the bear if he was okay, he lunged around, juggled the shears in his hands, tripped, and snapped off one of the hedge duck's arms.

Minnie winced as the shrubby appendage crashed to the ground, sighing for Humphrey to be careful. The bear straightened up and saluted. Then he picked up the shears and continued working, trying to shorten the duck's opposite arm to make it match its amputated twin.

Minnie led Joshua and Sora out of the garden and up another staircase into one of the colonnades surrounding the garden. As they walked through the open air, she spoke that the absence of letters in the past several weeks had made her uncomfortable.

"Perhaps if you showed us his last few letters, we could help you figure out where he is now," Joshua offered with a smile.

Minnie beamed back, chirping that the letters were private. Hints of a blush made her cover her cheeks with her hands. "You know, Mickey is quite, well... _affectionate_ when he writes."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about being embarrassed around me, ma'am," Joshua cooed. "I'm the least judgmental person you'll ever meet."

Sora snorted without stopping himself. When Joshua glowered at him, he shoved his hands in his pockets, zipped his mouth shut, and wandered along with his head down. Only when Minnie addressed him directly did he snap out of his thoughts.

"Your friend tells me you trained with the imperial army in the Land of Dragons for over a month," she chirped. "No easy feat!"

"Well, we had to stop the Huns from taking over," Sora insisted. "They were using the power of darkness."

"They were using heartless, Sora," Joshua corrected. "Darkness is different."

Minnie raised her brows and widened her eyes. Then she murmured, "hm!" and walked ahead, calling that it appeared things at the academy had changed a great deal.

"Mickey always told me the fight against darkness and the fight against the heartless were one and the same!" she chirped.

Joshua shrugged, murmuring that their new headmaster figured darkness was different. "It's just an element, after all, same as light."

"Well," Minnie concluded, "I suppose it's not what you wield, but what you do with it."

"Absolutely!" Joshua beamed; inserting a dainty giggle Sora was sure warmed up the majority of his victims nicely. When Sora contemplated if Joshua had used that shtick on him before, he winced, reasoning with himself that his newfound pride deserved a few more hours intact. Instead he dawdled at the Queen's side, staring around the massive pillars and archways, peeping into the garden for Humphrey, digging his foot into the gold rimmed carpet, and staring at the endless double doors to halls and ballrooms as they passed them by.

"Have you had any problems with heartless of late, ma'am?" asked Joshua.

Minnie shook her head. "As of now, no," she said. Her clear gaze faltered. "But I have sensed a darkness creeping towards us of late. The border between the Realm of Light and the Realm Between is _so_ thin here, you can practically feel Twilight Town beneath your feet!"

"Huh," Sora mumbled, tapping the ground with the toe of his shoe.

Joshua's eyes flashed in curiosity. "I don't remember my headmaster talking about a Realm _Between_ ," he whispered. "Or a Realm of Light, for that matter."

Minnie giggled and shrugged, murmuring that there was probably a lot his headmaster never talked about. "After all, this funny universe we call home is full of surprises."

When Sora glanced up, he saw that she was staring straight at him. As he met her eye, she gave him a purposeful look and rang out that when a world rested in the plain beneath yours, messages drifted up through your dreams like packages delivered on tracks of twilight. As soon as she said it, Sora's shoulders dropped. His breath stilled. He continued staring at Minnie, wondering what she was really saying, remembering when Yen Sid had told him those exact words.

"After all, there is so much we don't know," the queen continued. "And so many people willing to give us the wrong information. The best source is an objective one. You both should visit our library!" she gasped, leading the boys to a small room at the end of the hall. After filtering inside, she murmured for everyone to help themselves. Sora grinned wide as he glanced about.

It was less a library and more an office-plus-books, replete with sprawling, curvy golden shelves lining two of its four walls. The other walls were jammed with pictures of Mickey's ancestors in varying styles of dress. There was a fireplace, a dog bed, a desk with stamps, feather quills, papers, a block of wax, and a group of broomsticks wandering around carrying pails of water. Sora stared in wonder as they passed him by, nearly slipping on the blue and white tile that must have been freshly washed.

After the brooms had gone, Minnie held out her hands and fluttered the boys forward.

Immediately Joshua pounced on the desk, slipping his backpack around his front and whipping out the small forensics kit they had first used in Twilight Town. With it he scoured Mickey's drawers, paperwork, writing utensils, shredded documents, and anything else he could get his hands on: copying, swabbing, or otherwise documenting anything he saw fit. Sora watched Minnie as she watched Joshua, his heart breaking as he noticed her trembling hands and lower lip.

"Queen Minnie," Sora murmured, "we don't have to..."

"No," she said sternly, nodding her head as her gaze fired ahead. "As long as it helps you find him, I'm willing to comply to the upmost degree."

"Mind if I take these back, then?" Joshua chirped, holding up a box of Mickey's private letters.

Minnie swayed as though she would faint. As she stumbled, Sora caught her by the arm and snapped for Joshua to knock it off. When Joshua scoffed, wiggled up two fingers, and murmured that he only wished for a helping hand, Sora groaned and Minnie snapped that they could take the letters if they wished.

"After all, their words are engraved on my heart," she sniffed, wiping away a string of tears that had beaded around her eyes.

Sora gasped as he glanced from her cowering form to Joshua's unceremonious sealing and shoving of her letters into his backpack. "Joshua!" he cried in indignation.

When Joshua hissed that this was their job, Minnie suggested that she speak to Joshua alone. "Please, Sora," she whispered. "It appears that Joshua is here for one thing and one thing only, and that is to find the king."

Joshua remained motionless and expressionless, clutching the strings of his backpack tighter as he pursed his lips.

Minnie nodded and held out her hand, waiting as the boys followed her back to the colonnade. "I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer," she cooed, "but I have scoured this place as best as I could with all magic and forensic means. He left no discernible clues. He didn't even come back to say goodbye..."

"We'll find him, Minnie," Sora assured her, reaching out and touching her hand. When she felt his palm on her gloves, she warmed with a crinkling smile.

Joshua asked if he could interview her alone. She complied, peering at Sora's sour expression in concern. When she asked if he would be okay, Joshua chirped that he could stay in the library. "He's way behind on a project," he sang. "He's studying how different cultures communicate and adapt through dance."

"Oh, my!" Minnie sang with glee, clapping her hands together and nodding to Sora in approval. "Well, if _research_ is what you intend to do, I suggest visiting the Hall of Records," she added, pointing to a set of double doors in the colonnade across the garden Humphrey was massacring. "If you have any extra time, you could learn a bit more about Disney City's beginnings. After all, if there is any real cornerstone to a kingdom, it is its past!"

"A citizen our headmaster interviewed mentioned a cornerstone," Joshua chirped. "Is it real, or just a metaphor?"

Minnie shrugged and sighed, murmuring that anything of importance was only as real as its keeper wanted it to be. "But if you're wondering about the device protecting our world from the heartless, I'd be happy to show you that... it's just below the deck of the throne room... perhaps we can talk there," she cooed, snapping for several brooms to follow her.

Once she and Joshua disappeared through a hatch at the bottom of the massive double doors centering the colonnade, Sora trudged back into the garden and crossed it, waving to Humphrey as the bear gouged out a shrubby pig's eye. As the bear swiveled around in curiosity and waved back, Sora called that he had missed a spot. In return, Humphrey knocked off one of the pig's ears.

Sora snorted and pressed through a creaky, neglected door behind a dead shrub on the garden's opposite end. After slipping through, he coughed against dust and cobwebs, crossed the disused colonnade up the stairs, and pressed through the double doors at the hall's center into a massive network of halls filled with books, maps, manuscripts, posters, magazines, and publications of every size, codified and organized to the umpteenth degree on bookshelves with ladders that snaked and curled like silly string. There was even a selection of globes, a massive golden table with charts indented in its bottom and tiny models of planets and words spiraling its top, a planetarium with a telescope peeking through the castle roof, and a projector and screen for showing programs.

Being here felt like being a kid in a candy shop. When Sora sidled up to a golden table that read, "Master Sid Orrery," he gasped in wonder. Could it be Master Sid as in Master _Yen_ Sid? He ran his hand over the lettering, peering at the contraption's underside and down its masterfully carven legs. It was a functional work of art.

As he moved further, he got the feeling that this part of the castle was one of the oldest. It seemed almost out of place: a monastery within a skyscraper.

Sora wandered deeper, noticing that each shelf was marked by world instead of alphabetically. Animated brooms marched throughout, up one ladder, down a set of stairs, and around a loop, weighed down with stacks. Packed cardboard boxes hung everywhere. One, marked "YS Castaways," lounged outside Twilight Town, perfumed with the smell of Yen Sid. Sora grinned as he dove through it.

 _Dusklit Drag,_ read one cover in glossy pink lettering: _An Old Man Learns New Splits._ The cover was dusted with the image of a former queen named Dusky Bottoms. It appeared to be a biography about revamping the Twilight Town drag scene. Beside it lounged a cookbook style manual called _The Secret Garden: Tips from a Radiant Garden Artisan._ A quote on the back said that Dr. Lucille Vogel "nursed my petunias back to life with this book!" Sora snorted as he looked at the back cover, furrowing his brows at the author picture of an old woman sitting amongst a patch of flowers in black and white. She had kind, crinkly eyes and a high grey bun. Somehow, she looked familiar.

As Sora flipped the book open, something fell out of it onto the floor, crumpled and worn with age. When he picked it up, he realized it was a letter addressed to someone named Yenny.

Its script was practiced yet slap dash, written in the heat of the moment. It started simply: Yenny. Just the name. Then a comma, and then a poem with four stanzas.

Sora glanced over his shoulder. Then, certain he was alone, he began to read:

 _Had I not been awake I would have missed it,_

 _A wind that rose and whirled until the roof_

 _Pattered with quick leaves off the sycamore_

 _x_

 _And got me up, the whole of me a-patter,_

 _Alive and tickling like an electric fence:_

 _Had I not been awake I would have missed it,_

 _x_

 _It came and went so unexpectedly_

 _And almost it seemed dangerously,_

 _Returning like an animal to the house,_

 _x_

 _A courier blast that there and then_

 _Lapsed ordinary. But not ever_

 _After. And not now._

Beneath that was a short note that read: _This made me think of you. I cry, too, but only because I feel scared. How can I fight the darkness when I keep my thoughts buried so deep? I think about you constantly. About doing all sorts of things with you. I think I love you._

 _PS. When I mocked your nose, I lied. Every inch of you is beautiful._

 _Eri._

Sora did a double take to confirm that the addressor was not his fallen replica friend. But no. This person's name started with an E, not an A.

As Sora cradled the first page, a second slipped from beneath. Picking that one up, he noticed that it was another letter, much newer and more prettily written, this time from Y to E.

It opened immediately with the letter E and a dash. Following that was a poem called 'The door was open and the house was dark.'

 _The door was open and the house was dark,_ it began. _Wherefore I called his name, although I knew_

 _The answer this time would be silence._

A line further down struck him.

 _I felt, for the first time there and then, a stranger._

There and then. It had been in the first poem, too. There, it had been an expression of hope and new beginnings. Then, with the second it turned to a goodbye. Sora's heart broke just thinking about it. He skipped to the poem's end, where another note was written. This one was more thoughtful, penned by a man rather than a boy. It had a nostalgic feeling.

 _This made me think of you. A rather morose entry from our dear genius: a commemoration. A memorial for swimming in ice-cold water. He speaks our feelings more eloquently than we ever could. In the end, this was always yours. How are the boys? They must have shot up like sprigs since the last time I saw them._

 _Y._

Sora cringed as he finished it, feeling as though he had stepped on someone's grave. He folded and returned both letters to the middle of the gardening book, sure that they had been left inside accidentally. Yenny must have been Yen Sid, nothing else made sense.

But who was E?

A sudden, thunderous noise filled the hall, causing Sora to upend Yen Sid's gardening book and scramble into the Twilight Town cubby corner. When he noticed one title, _Tracks of Twilight_ , glaring out at him in red lettering, he snorted, wondering if that was what Minnie had been getting him to look for. Before he could glance through it, the sound of whispering voices whistled towards him, familiar yet foreign. One was squeaky, filled with lisps and spit. The other was throaty, hiccupping. One pair of feet tapped along like rubber gloves. The other clomped as its owner chuckled.

"So she said at the sound of the cannon to come down here?"

"Yeth, Goofy."

"So she's in talkin' to that Goshima kid, right?"

"Jothua, Goofy."

"Oh. Joshua. A-hyuck."

"He'th trying to find the King."

"Well, that's just dandy!"

"For Themnath, Goofy."

"Oh. Shucks..."

"They tortured Thcrooge for informathion."

"Jiminy Crickets. Did he tell 'em anything?"

"Not until they threatened to take his life thavingth."

"A-hyuck. Sounds like ol' Scrooge."

"He only told them what they already knew. He thent them on a wild gooth chathe over some 'cornerthtone.'"

"A-hyuck, the ol' cornerstone spiel..."

"... Told them he'd worked with the King to create an inter world trading route before dethiding to itholate."

"Why'd we have to isolate again?"

"When Thinra landth on your doorthtep wanting to inthtall a reactor and thatellite, what other choithe do you have?"

"Well if that Josiah-"

"Jothua-"

"If Zendaya knows how to get to Disney Castle, then that means Organization XIII knows how to get here, too, which means Shinra knows how to get here, which means we're, buh, beh, we don't even have an army!"

"-You are the army-"

"-Bah-"

"Bethidth, only wielders of light can get here!"

"But what if they use Bora-"

"Thora"

"What if they use Laura-"

"GAH!"

"- to take us down? Didn't he become a heartless in his dream quest?"

"The dream quethtth are jutht dreamth, Goofy!"

"If they're only dreams, why'd the heartless and nobodies start coming out in real life? Why's Riku all..."

"We can't worry about that, Goofy! All we can do ith make thure Dithney Cathtle ith thafe!"

For a moment there was silence. Then:

"Do they know about the king bein' spotted in Dragon Land?"

"The Land of Dragonth, Goofy."

"Right. A-hyuck."

"Who?"

"Uh, the Land of Dragons?"

"No, Goofy, who do you mean by 'they'?"

"I don't know, Donald. The bad guys, I guess."

"If only it were that thimple…"

Another beat.

"Uh… why'd we come down here, anyway?"

"To thee what Thora'th thnoopin' around for."

"Oh. A-hyuck."

"He thould be in Twilight Town."

"Oh, well, here-"

"I'm thertain it'th on the oppothite end of the building..."

"Oh. A-hyuck. Okay..."

With that, the two voices sailed off to the other end of the Hall of Records.

Sora held his breath until they were gone, grimacing in confusion as he wondered who Thora and Bora were. When he was certain he was alone, he clambered up, opened _Tracks of Twilight,_ and read through its table of contents. It was about one of the earliest metal bands in Shibuya. Each of its chapters was named after a song. The first read "Woe of Contagion," and the ninth and final chapter read "Beyond Light."

He wrinkled his nose in confusion as he skimmed. When he turned to the back cover, he saw a picture of a motley crew of what looked like a cross between punks and ganguros. In curiosity he scanned the description beneath.

 _Twilight uses the tracks from its namesake album to paint a picture of the slow destruction of a vibrant world in a heraldic, Noah of Arc story about sinking to your lowest low yet retaining hope for the discovery of a newer, cleaner world. Like a phoenix, it burns itself to ashes and rises up like the path of dawn. When it speaks, it sings. When it flies, it soars._

"Huh," Sora murmured to himself, propping the book closer to the light in case it had a secret code tacked to one of its edges. Either he was looking for the wrong clues, or the clues were too complicated for him to figure out. When he lumbered into the middle of the Hall of Records and called around for a librarian of some sort, he found none.

Pursing his lips, he wandered with books in hand, asking any broom he met along the way for the easiest route to Queen Minnie and Joshua. Though they were well intentioned, their only means of communication were rather spindly arms. After a while Sora gave up and wandered, peeping through shelves, scaring more brooms into dropping the cartons they lugged around, and generally being a nuisance. When he happened upon a set of stairs leading to a basement marked "Reserves" with a DO NOT ENTER sign plastered above it, he stopped. Then, glancing around in glee, he clambered down, slipped through the Reserves door, and peeped around on his tiptoes.

The basement stank of must. It was warm, as if inhabited by nothing but stale breath: CO2 from inhabitants that had left this chamber to its own devices long before Sora was born. It was like stepping into one of the libraries back home: books frayed with age, letters eating themselves, odd shafts of sunlight bleaching every stray image or word white. A poster of a figure in a thinking, sitting position with the faded plea, _FOR GREATER KNOWLEDGE ON MORE SUBJECTS- USE YOUR LIBRARY OFTEN!_ Sora grinned when he realized the figure was not a man, but an anthropomorphic dachsund.

He wandered past pastel painted, rusting aisles piled with rolls upon rolls of parchment and packed files. There were globes: old representations of Disney Town before the castle was built. Maps, too, all piled on a collection of tables littered with excrement, cobwebs, and pens caked in age old, withered dry ink. Sora tested a few of them before losing interest and wandering further, reading aloud from the parchment and tucking notes of interest under his arm until he realized they were disintegrating under the oppression of his sweat.

Lost on what to do next, he let his feet carry him forward until he stumbled upon a door far at the back of the room marked "Research." Then, rubbing his hands together in excitement, he slipped towards it and peeped through its small, square window. His reflection was all he saw in the glass. Otherwise, there was nothing but black. When he tried the lock, it jammed. Scowling, he padded around his pockets for bobby pins. Then he thought of his key blade. "A key to unlock anything, huh?" he murmured to himself with a grin.

Crossing his fingers, he stepped back and summoned it, pointing it at the doorknob and concentrating. His aim had improved miles under Shang and Mulan's tutelage. Now he had to prove to himself that he had remembered everything he had been taught.

Sure enough, after a deep breath and correct placement, his key blade glowed, the latch undid, and he opened the door. When he leaned his head in, he hissed in discontent and lurched back.

The room was an icebox, powered by an A/C fan that thundered above like gnashing teeth. If Sora focused his gaze along the plane of his nose, he could see his breath.

Suspicious but undeterred, he felt around for a switch and flipped it up. A set of lights fizzled to life before popping to darkness. When Sora tried the switch again, the darkness remained.

Scowling, he left the door open and lit the tip of his key blade. When he saw what it illuminated, he gasped.

A memory pod sat at the extreme end of the room, but it did not look like the ones Sora and his classmates had been put in last year. This one was ancient, attached to the wall like an egg on a spider's back, and plugged with a wide assortment of moth eaten tubes and rusty wires, all feeding into a massive generator at the pod's side with a plethora of dials and gauges. One was for temperature. Another was for pulse. A third was EEG. But a fourth, makeshift dial labeled with sharpie and electrical tape read, "lumens," with "Lux" at the top of the dial and "Nox" at the bottom. When Sora looked closely, he noticed the only valve still active was the one for temperature, and it was in the red. The others ticked relentlessly, glass broken and dials limp.

It made Sora snort. If 30 degrees Fahrenheit was "in the red," he shivered to think what the suggested temperature in-pod felt like. Did it actually work on humans? He hunted around the back, seeing if there was a switch of some sort. There was an old timer lodged between a couple wires. That must have been what the ticking sound came from. When he noticed a space between the wall and the pod base, concrete and paint crumbled to dust and shards around the floor surrounding, he pulled the contraption back and gasped.

Oozing down where the wall should have ended was black slime. Sora wrinkled his nose, wondering if it was from a black boil like the one that had summoned the Twilight Thorn in the Land of Departure. He grinned as a glob of it dripped and pooled on his wrist. It moved like a caterpillar, blundering across his skin this way and that, searching for a way off. He half expected it to glance up with little yellow eyes. When it did not, he sighed and squashed it between his forefinger and thumb, watching as it faded into mist. Then, gripping the side of the ancient memory pod, he hoisted himself to standing.

 _Aqua._

Sora sucked in a breath and froze, listening over the thundering AC and ticking valves on the memory pod generator. When he was sure the voice was in his head, he relaxed and peeped towards the opposite wall, where a string of shelves were laden with cardboard boxes. When Sora got closer, he realized they were filled with black and white photo albums.

Each collection was stuffed to the brim and appeared to be relation to the genealogy of a family living around Disney Castle. Yet one, separate from the rest and labeled with a red X, was filled with photos of strange couples. When Sora peered at the first page, he saw a color photo of Mickey and Yen Sid, Yen Sid smiling and setting his hand on Mickey's shoulder in front of a fake forest backdrop. Following that was a picture of Yen Sid, Eraqus, and Xehanort as young boys, flanked by a man shrouded in a black cloak. Back then Yen Sid's eyebrows were smaller. His chocolate brown eyes sloped downward, giving him a wistful look. His block of a nose became him when he smiled. Eraqus's face was prettier: his nose petite, cheeks plump, and eyes large and blue. He reminded Sora of Ventus. Xehanort looked like Nimo, though more mischievous than diabolical.

When Sora turned another page, there was another photo, so faded and grainy it looked like it had been taken on the first camera ever created. There were five figures: four students and one master. Each wore a mask save for the teacher. He was clad in a black cloak, holding up a tabby cat with a pouch around its neck. Then there was a picture of Xehanort and Ventus, the same hand on the same shoulder, Ventus no more than ten years old. After came two more pictures of Eraqus, one of him standing with Terra and Aqua, the other incomplete and torn in half just where Eraqus' hand met a young man's shoulder. The page after that, Sora gasped. There stood Xehanort and Soddy, Xehanort young enough to be receding rather than bald, Soddy barely old enough to have lost the baby fat surrounding his chin. He leered through the photo's plastic frame, mocking Sora with just his eyes.

 _Ven._

Sora whipped around and gasped, calling out Joshua's name. Then Minnie's. Then Humphrey's. Then Riku's- the voice sounded most like his. When Sora peeked out the wide-open Reserves door, he saw no one. Chilled, he drew his key blade and glanced again at the dark ooze behind the memory pod.

 _A key blade?_

The A/C overhead made a weird, grinding noise that sent Sora out of his skin. Scowling, he pulled himself together and croaked, "Whoever's around, you've had your fun, now cut it the nut out!"

 _Who are you?_

"I'm..." Sora started, but something in the peripheral of his vision drowned out his voice.

There was a person hunched at the back of the room, behind a table and mass of musty, cobwebbed filing cabinets, so shrouded Sora could barely make out anything but its silhouette. _I know you,_ it said. _We've met._

Sora's eyes widened. Suddenly, he felt warm. A draft blew around him, kicking up dust and casting it against his lashes. As he winced and backed towards the Reserves door, the figure flinched and swiveled its head towards him, grinding metal moving with its dark chin.

 _No._ It said. _That wasn't you. You're not the one I chose. Where is he?_

"Wh-ho?" Sora squeaked, managing a croak that barely sounded human. There was something strange about the way the figure spoke, as if its voice echoed only in Sora's mind.

When Sora gripped his key blade harder and inched towards the door, the knob disintegrated to orange sand under his touch. Gasping, he fired back into the room and furrowed his brows when he felt ground beneath his feet. When he looked down, the concrete floor was replaced by packed clay. Sand began appearing in every corner: in boxes, on the table, and surrounding the generator. The black ooze circling the memory pod flickered and crept forward like spindly arms.

 _Xe...ha...nort... is that you? Xena...nort. Xehanort!_

When the figure stood, the light outside the Reserves door illuminated it. It was wearing armor of red, gold, and purple. Two massive, hooking horns drove from its helmet, scraping against the ceiling as the figure towered over everything surrounding. When Sora saw the color of the cape flinging from its back and recognized the key blade gripped in its hand, his stomach dropped through his knees.

In terror he groped for the Reserves door again, wailing when instead of shelves of books, posters, and maps, it revealed a sprawling desert and mountains parched of moisture. It was as if Minnie's library had never existed at all: like a dream that starts in a bedroom rocking back and forth and ends with the walls falling down to reveal an ocean.

For a moment Sora glanced back and forth over the barren desert in stupor, oblivious to each hollow footstep behind him. Then, whooshing metal flew over his head.

Dodge rolling at the last minute; he avoided the armor's key blade as it cracked through the frame of the Reserves door and shattered the window's class. As the armor tore the blade back out and continued towards him, Sora screamed at the top of his lungs for help, knowing somehow that if he fell onto the desert outside, he would never see home again.

The armor bolted a strange circle of light towards him that he guarded and sent back. As the figure smashed through the returning orb, Sora began sobbing, begging for him to stop. "Terra!" he shrieked, howling as the armor thrust its key blade towards his middle, smashing the memory pod glass he hid beside and sending bits flying this way and that. "Please!"

Terra's armor hesitated. Then it swept forward again, battering Sora so intensely he could barely cast cure in time. As he scrambled under the table holding the cardboard boxes he prayed for someone to save him. When Terra's massive boots clomped straight for him, he scrambled out on his hands and knees and banged on the walls, screaming every name he could think of.

"Joshua!" he shrieked. "Queen Minnie! Please, Terra's-"

The groan of the key blade jolted Sora into another dodge roll that catapulted him against the cracked memory pod glass. Wincing as its shards pricked his arms, he held out his hand, relinquished his key blade, and begged for Terra to stop.

"It's me!" he sobbed. "It's Sora! I was looking up drag shows in the library, don't you remember? When you were getting your Mark of Mastery, you used my computer! You were nervous!"

The figure stopped and stared at him, unmoving.

Sora could not tell if it was interested or bored, but he ran with the opportunity, blabbering that he was Ventus' friend and that he had trained with all three of them on the summit. "Please!" he whimpered again. "Please, please don't kill me!"

There was silence as the figure continued watching him. The nose of its helmet nodded up, dipping and rising as if sniffing, cocking to the side in thought.

 _Sora?_

Sora's heart trilled in hope. He beamed, stood, and nodded with vigor, squeaking that he was a friend, trying to find a glimmer of life beneath the shell. There was no movement at all, not even a shallow breath.

 _Riku's Sora?_

"Yes!" Sora shrieked. "Yes, Riku! I- he's my best friend!"

The tilt of the armor's helmet and stance of its body eluded all hope of Sora reading its thoughts. When it snapped up again, its grip on Terra's key blade tightened.

 _I smell... darkness._

"What?" Sora whispered. When he remembered the memory pod, cracked and oozing in the corner, he pointed to it and shrieked that the darkness was coming from there. But Terra's armor shook its helmet. Its free hand raised, forefinger up, and pointed through the room. When it landed in line with Sora's nose, the fist closed.

 _No. There._

Sora's knees turned to jello beneath him.

Settled, Terra's armor pointed its key blade and fired a trio of jittering orange, triangular prisms that danced around Sora with bound arms. It must have been some sort of trap. But his brain refused to tell him how to escape. The prisms approached as he huddled in on himself, binding tighter and tighter until they singed his skin. As they neared, Sora called out every name he could think of. When nothing else worked, he begged for the man who had been at his side more than anyone else, the one who had stood by him no matter what he did.

"Soddy!" he wailed. "Please, please help me!"

 _The darkness can't have me._

Had the armor said that, or had Sora's heart? As the black, oozing tendrils crept towards him; his hands and feet went numb. He shook. His teeth chattered. The color left his cheeks. Then, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and a loud ringing overtook his ears. When he came to again, he was back in the Research room leaning against the shattered memory pod. Only this time, everything was in place. The Reserves door opened onto bookshelves, globes, and maps instead of desert and mountains. Leaning over him white as a sheet, was Joshua.

"Sora!" the blond hissed. "What the hell happened to you?"

Sora groped around, shaking in terror. The memory pod remained, still shattered. But the black ooze was gone. He groaned and collapsed into Joshua's arms, too weak to stand.

Joshua called for Queen Minnie's help. When she pattered down the stairs, she gasped, rushed through the Reserves stacks, and cast a spell over Sora's head that made him strong enough to walk. Then she took the glass shards out of his arm.

When he stood, his head swam. Joshua slipped under his shoulder and hurried him back into the Hall of Records. When Sora croaked that he wanted to take some books, Joshua hissed that they had no time.

"Minnie!" Sora cried behind him, holding out the books he had taken from the Twilight Town section of the library. "I- I took these-"

"I'll make sure they go to the right place, Sora!" she gulped, wiping a tear from her cheek as she took the books from Sora's arms. As the trio entered the colonnade again, Minnie gasped at the bags under Sora's sunken eyes. "Oh, Sora, I told you to stay in the Hall of Records!"

When Sora felt fresh, green air, he groaned and sucked in, nuzzling closer to Joshua's warmth. "Why're we leaving so fast?" he slurred.

Joshua glanced ahead, looking terrified himself. "Xemnas wants everyone back as soon as possible," he hissed.

"Why?" asked Sora.

Joshua looked at him in pity, failing to meet his eye when Sora stared.

"They found Roxas."

~X~

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 **A/N: Favorite, comment, and review! Let me know what you think and send some love! This story needs CPR and electroshock therapy (lol) What do we think about the return of our favorite, eternally elusive Roxas? Ooh, things are going to get wild from here, I hope you're all ready for it!**


	42. Dark Visions

**A/N: Thank you for the kind encouragement and review as usual R12! I'm glad you're still enjoying this story, even with all its hiatuses and hiccups! I'm not perfectly satisfied with the next few chapters because I wrote them a long time ago when my writing style was different, and some things get so old that they're difficult to edit when you're in a new frame of mind. I just want to get to writing new chapters, but I can't do that until I get these ones out! So here another one is!**

 **Warning: Explicit Sexuality**

* * *

~X~

 ** _Chapter Forty Two_**

~X~

Sora fled through endless, darkened stacks of books, silencing his steps as grinding metal sounded from the pipes overhead along with the echo of music. He could hear muted voices coming from above: Kairi, Minnie, Mickey, Yen Sid, and Eraqus. But he could not call out to them. When metal footsteps clanged towards the stack at his side, he stopped himself from screaming and swiveled around, dashing in the direction he had come.

 _They tortured him well and good,_ discussed the voices above, whispered yet crystal clear, glasses tinkling like clinking champagne flutes. As Kairi tittered laughter, Sora saw a glimmer of a cape flutter ahead and froze in terror, wishing he could cry out and warn the party where he was. They laughed again.

 _Lured him in like a rabbit with a carrot._

 _If you'd said a mouse with cheese I would have been offended!_

 _Little traps everywhere, too stupid to realize. I heard they made the others watch._

 _They always make the losing troops watch. Want their last moments to be pure fear._

When Sora reached the end of the wall of books concealing him, he hunkered onto all fours and bounded close to the ground like a jackal, leaping across tables and scattering the maps on their tops. Grinding metal halted in the distance. Then, it began to run.

Sora bit back the whimper crawling up his throat, leaping so fast the books surrounding became a blur. Then he was climbing stairs with red brick walls on either side, pursued by a swishing blade. Before it could reach him, he slipped and skidded into another basement, remaining close to the ground as he flew across stinking carpets stained with black spots and the stench of iron. He passed a room he knew he did not want to enter. Fluorescent white light flickered within, along with the jittering whine of some sort of machine. He shied away and slithered farther, until he happened upon a metal sliding door marked with the same diamond enclosed, foreign script he had seen on the shipment boxes outside the warehouse on Avenida. When he slipped inside, he cringed.

It was an operating room surrounded by memory pods in varying shapes and sizes: some ovular, some rectangular, some filled with pink sludge or made of blocks of blue ice cream. In the center sat a body on a table, shrouded in a purple sheet. As soon as Sora touched it, the sheet was gone.

Ari lied in its place, eyes open, blinking at Sora as he tugged at his open chest. Wire frames in the shapes of prisms sat in place of his organs, surrounded by fleshy, blood red ribs and muscular walls. He smiled and waved, telling Sora he wasn't real, anyway. Then he stepped off the table and leaned against the wall to wall, two way mirror at the room's rear.

Behind its frame wrestled Vanitas and Roxas, naked. When Vanitas pressed himself against the base of Roxas' thighs, aim dreadfully off, Roxas became drenched in water, shivering and chattering his teeth.

 _It's only research_ Ari acceded. Then he turned to Sora with a grave glance. _Their last patient went septic. How's your Mickey Hunt going?_

 _He's upstairs,_ Sora said coolly, watching as Vanitas turned to Soddy. _I've just got to walk up to him._

Ari's reflection overlaid Soddy's features. _He won't apprentice you, you know,_ he said knowingly. _He's taken._

 _I can always try,_ Sora responded, seeing himself in Roxas.

 _Not looking like that, you can't,_ Axel's voice rung at their side.

Though he appeared out of nowhere, it felt unremarkable. When Sora gazed down and saw Terra's key blade in the man's black-gloved hand, he felt scared. When Axel turned, his face disintegrated to Eraqus': jaw slack, eyes hollow, and black, tar like blood smeared against his chin as he hissed, _only wielders of light are allowed in this room._

Sora grimaced in confusion, turning towards the operating room door.

There was nothing there but a wide window surrounded by white tiles, the same tiles Roxas and Vanitas had been surrounded by as Sora and Ari watched them wrestle from the outside or the two way mirror. Now, Sora saw nothing but his reflection. Where his own body should have stood crouched a heartless.

Sora shivered as he watched, drenched in cold water. Someone held him from behind, but he could not see them.

The mirror heartless' yellow eyes blinked with him. It shook when he shook and crossed its arms over its front when he crossed his. Its mouth opened wide when Sora grimaced, revealing pincher teeth.

For a moment Sora stood in confusion. Then, the invisible arms holding him tightened. The heartless straightened in realization. Clomping metal footsteps echoed at its crouched back.

 _No. There._

"NO!" Sora shrieked, jumping up and hitting his head off the gummi ship's bedroom ceiling. As he clapped his hands over his scalp, he cowered and glanced around to see if he was safe. When he realized he was tangled in his sleeping bag and drenched in sweat from head to toe, he tore off his shirt, wrenched out of the bedclothes, wiped himself down, and hunted through the mattress folds for Jaws Junior. When he located the stuffed animal, lodged between the bed and the gummi ship's rear window, he clutched it in his arms, nuzzled it close to his cheek, and curled up and cried. Joshua's voice sailed down towards him, asking if he was okay.

"Under an hour away," the blond added. "We're last to arrive, so heartless vessels should be few and far between."

Sora stared into Jaws Junior's dull, black eyes. Tiny, distorted faces reflected within, like dark, gleaming twins.

Shoving the animal away, Sora lumbered up the ladder and plopped into the chair at Joshua's side, wrenching up his destroyed tablet and scrolling through the bestiary. He considered entering in "black ooze," but feared that if he told Xemnas it summoned a phantom of Terra's key blade armor, the headmaster would laugh him all the way back to Destiny Islands. After all, it had been a dream, right? Maybe the mildewy stuffiness of Disney Castle's Reserves Section had gotten to his head, made him slump over, smash against the memory pod glass, and fall asleep.

Still, his fingers shook as he typed in the password to his new homework app and email. Xemnas' call for all students to return to the academy sat at the top of his received mail, cap-locked URGENT. Sora had read it so many times he had memorized it. _Missing student found. Abandon posts and return to home base IMMEDIATELY- NO exceptions, no exemptions, no mercy._

When he switched the tablet off and glanced up to see what Joshua was doing, he spied him lounging in the front seat with a stylus in one hand, tablet in the other, and glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose, poking and pressing across the screen to highlight and circle words in what looked to be an essay.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked, wringing out his sopping hair on the carpet.

"Don't shake your sweat off up here, Sora," Joshua warned in reply. "Wait till we get home."

Sora whined and slumped back in his seat with his arms over his chest. When he stilled, Joshua told him that he was proofreading his report on inter world dancing.

"Really?" Sora chirped, sailing to Joshua's shoulder and leaning against it. As soon as he felt the warmth of the boy's skin and smelled his perfume, despair clutched so far down his throat that tears budded around his eyes.

When Sora nuzzled again, Joshua shook him off and scowled in disgust, hissing for him to stop sweating on him.

Sora sniffed and sat on the floor at his side, staring out the gummi window and wishing that the "home" they were floating towards was really Destiny Islands.

"I'm impressed, Sora," Joshua said. "Looks like you really used those books Minnie piled us with on our way out. Well organized, too. Though your bibliography and sentence structure need serious work."

When Sora stayed silent, Joshua peeked over at him, pale nostrils flickering in and out as he inhaled. When he turned back to Sora's rough draft, he murmured, "your musk smells nice. Kind of salty and sweet, though I don't like being drenched in-"

Sora listened until he could not anymore. A gag crawled up his throat, making Joshua yelp in fright when it came out as a hoarse whimper.

As Sora burst into tears, Joshua gaped and leaned over the pilot chair to stare at him, watching as the brunet hiccupped and wailed his mouth wide open, head cast up and legs slipped apart like butterfly wings.

After hestitating Joshua reached out and patted his head, wincing when his hand came back damp. He wiped it on the seat cushion as he cooed for Sora to calm down. When he asked what had happened, Sora cast his head down and stared up at Joshua like a naughty child.

Joshua cocked his head in expectation. "Did you have a bad dream?" he goaded.

Sora sniffled. Then, scrunching his face up, he whimpered, "y-yeah," and blustered into weeping again.

Joshua sighed and stroked his scalp like a puppy, rolling his eyes when the boy piped down.

"I was supposed to stay awake," Sora whispered, sniffing uncontrollably.

Joshua sighed that it was only natural for him to fall asleep. "You've been awake for three days straight. Your body is exhausted."

"Bu-but why aren't you sleeping?" Sora whimpered.

His companion snorted and said he got a lot of sleep at the brothel in the imperial city. "And I do fall asleep at the cockpit, you know," he said. "I'm a light sleeper, anyway, but I'm only awake now because I'm anxious. Aren't you?"

"Y-yeah," Sora croaked, trying not to think about the reason why. His eyes drooped of their own accord as Joshua stroked behind his ears and played with the shorter hairs at the back of his neck. He blushed as he leaned into the touch, closing his eyes completely to revel in the sensation.

"Ihadadreamabouthim," he slurred, causing Joshua to pause.

"Who?" The blond asked.

Sora opened his mouth to say "Ari," or "Eraqus," but instead he murmured, "Roxas. Bunch of others. I was chased by a monster. Then I found out I was a monster, too." As he said it, his face scrunched up and his shoulders shook from returning sobs.

Joshua's hand crept away as his breath paused. Then, voice heavy with irritation, he muttered that Sora could sit at his side if it would make him feel better.

Sora fired up the chair arm in an instant, snuggling at Joshua's ribs and leaning against his shoulder as he hiked up his legs. The closer he got, the more Joshua cringed away. When Sora threatened to take over the entire chair, Joshua snapped for him to stay on his half.

Sora slumped with a pout and rolled his head back and forth across Joshua's shoulder, making the boy cry out in giggling indignation. "Stop that, Sora!" he barked. "Or I'll kick you off!"

"I'm sorry," Sora mewled. "I won't move again, I promise."

Joshua scowled and grabbed his tablet back in his hands. He hummed as he proofreaded, chuckling every once in a while. When Sora scooted to get a better look, Joshua froze and pinned him with a glower that made Sora cower and apologize. Joshua continued staring at him, this time ponderous. Then, he glanced away.

The way his blond curls shivered as he breathed and the way his purple irises darted and jet black pupils dilated when they centered on something interesting had never been more fascinating to Sora. When his pale cheeks twitched up with a blushing grin, Sora blushed, too. Finally, the blond scowled and shot the brunet another forbidding glance.

Sora kept his gaze.

When Joshua stared into his eyes, he raised an expectant brow. "Sora," he warned. "You're staring."

"Sorry," Sora whispered, forgetting to stop. He liked the way Joshua's lips moved when he talked.

Joshua's eyes narrowed further. "I know Roxas taught you that staring like that _means_ something," he hissed. Then he turned away with a curt nod. "If you want to maintain our professional relationship, I suggest you look away or get off this chair. I may not be as stubborn as you, but once I get an idea in my head, I'm just as ruthless in going after it."

"Uh-huh," Sora murmured, draping himself over Joshua's arm. As he stared out the cockpit window, he bit his lip.

Space was so dark. Were there less stars than usual? They seemed dull: a dying pulse, a parched candle, a shrouded grin. Bound and suffocated. Trapped in surrounding black. Sora clutched himself as he stared, trying not to compare their flickering light to eyes, but most of all trying to ignore how good it felt being close to another human being.

He had not been touched in months, and all of a sudden his body ached for it. As he felt Joshua's still, even breath, he closed his eyes again, abandoning all tension and breathing with him. He dozed in and out, wringing his hands to keep from gripping Joshua's. When golden irises and the terrible whir of the A/C in the Hall of Records pulsed through the back of his head, he wrapped his arms around Joshua's middle and squeezed, smelling his neck again, nodding up when the blond scowled and shivered instinctively.

"You're acting very funny for saying you didn't want anything to do with me on the beginning of our journey," the blond intoned.

"That was because I was trying to control myself," Sora slurred through half sleep, covering his mouth too late.

Joshua whipped towards him in gleeful surprise, pinching back a smile as his brows rose half way up his scalp. "So Mr. 'I'm saving myself' Nomura _isn't_ a prude after all?" he cooed. "I should have guessed lack of sleep is a natural truth serum for you."

Sora turned away in rancor, shooting Joshua cool glances every once in a while though he snuggled closer to his side.

Joshua snickered and ran his fingers through Sora's hair, jiggling his head back and forth after taking hold. As Sora rotated towards him, the blond sighed in mock dejection. "Ah, Sora," he crooned, giving his best coquettish pout, "if only you'd gotten yourself a man in Twilight Town or the Land of Dragons like I _told_ you! The ship with me has sailed."

"M-hm," Sora murmured, ignoring him.

Joshua scowled and pinched his nose, telling him to listen.

It made Sora wince and furrow his brows.

He imagined himself leaning over and pecking the boy on the lips. His hair smelled so nice. His skin felt so soft. How had he not realized before? Sora stared at it through heavy lids, watching the way Joshua's lips pursed and curved down. When the lips got closer, he sighed in curiosity. Joshua's breath tickled the hairs of his nose. He wiggled and pinched at his nostrils to get rid of the sensation. Then, cheek against the seat back cushion, he closed his eyes and touched soft pink.

Joshua's lips remained frozen. Sora ran his own along them, wanting to press them with his tongue. His hand glided up and tugged thick blond curls, twirling the strands in his fingers.

Joshua responded by opening his mouth. Was he trying to protest?

Sora sighed and scooted closer, past his half of the chair, thigh gliding over Joshua's knee and resting between his legs.

The blond remained still; mouth gaping as Sora slipped both hands around his jaw and tilted his head to the side. Then, as Sora relaxed so close to sleep he moaned and mumbled without qualm, Joshua returned his kiss, slipping his arms around Sora's waist and pulling him close. They breathed together as Joshua slipped one leg between Sora's thighs, Sora bending down to reach the blond's upturned face as he felt Joshua's other leg graze the side of his ribs. Sucking in again, their scissoring thighs crept closer and their movements quickened.

Sora's cheeks burst red. His heart raced. Joshua made a sighing noise that made Sora run his tongue inside the boy's mouth.

As they sucked closer, Sora's hands slipped past Joshua's jaw and twined around the back of his head, reveling in the baby hairs at the nape of his neck. When he hooked his free leg around Joshua's hip and pressed his foot into the boy's backside, Joshua did the same.

Their erections touched through the fabric of each's garments. It wasn't close enough.

Wincing, Sora pressed so close that his legs shook. When he felt Joshua's balls against his own through his briefs, he scrunched shut his eyes and bit his lip to keep from moaning. When he averted his face, Joshua attacked his exposed neck, rolling his hips towards Sora's and grinning as Sora rolled back so hard their erections pressed and rubbed together. The fabric keeping them apart felt as though it were made of nettles.

When the pain was too much, Joshua burst out "I've got to-" in sudden vexation, kneeling away from Sora and unzipping his jeans.

Sora untangled their legs and leaned back, clutching his knees to his chin as he slipped off his boxers. No sooner than he was away did Joshua pull him back, entwining their legs one over the other again as Sora fumbled with the boy's collared shirt, giving up three buttons down before pulling it over his head. Joshua shivered as he wrestled it off, yelping and giggling when he nearly fell out of the chair. It made Sora giggle, too. But eventually, his smile faded.

He had never been this close to someone before- not even Ventus. Sure, he had traded blowjobs, laid with, and sat against a boy's lap. But this felt different. Joshua's genitals pressed so close to his own that Sora could feel the beat of the blond's blood through his own penis. The inside of his thigh snuggled against Joshua's soft, blue veined hip. It was so impossibly warm between the boy's legs that Sora could think of nothing but drawing them closer.

When he looked up, they met eyes. Joshua's lips were swollen with blush, puckered forward in want as his flushed cheek leaned against the seat back cushion. He was panting. Was Sora panting, too?

Sharing Joshua's wide, violet gaze with a gulp, he slipped one hand around the blond's left shoulder and the other under the pit of his right arm, meeting fingertips at the center of the boy's back. Then, still staring as though incapable of looking anywhere else, he pressed.

Joshua bit his lip and did the same, grabbing Sora by the hair and eating up his lips. The more their hips rolled the closer they clutched to each other, like cells merging together. The area between their legs became moist and hot: their balls, penises, and the insides of their thighs sliding together violently with sweat and semen.

The feeling of skin on skin was too much. Sora rattled out a cry as their bare penises reunited, clutching the arm of the chair behind Joshua's back. His hips moved faster, rolling and shoving into Joshua as he bit his lip and winced with each thrust. His arms and legs were beginning to shake with the familiar feeling of fullness in his pelvis. Joshua shook too; his face flushed bright pink as his curls swept in mottled strands around his nose. Sora wiped them away and kissed him again, timing every pull and push with the pull and push of Joshua's body. When they threatened to tip over the chair again, Joshua scowled and crawled with Sora in his arms to the ground, resting the brunet against the control panel, hiking one knee under his ass, and extending his other leg until it pressed against the pilot chair leg a foot away. With the extra push capacity, he thrust against Sora with mounting vigor. Sora helped him by pressing his shoulders harder against the control panel wall and flexing his hips forward as far as they would could go. The electric whine familiar from the night of the drag show and every time he had played with Ventus returned again. But this time, he wanted it so bad.

"Fuck, let me just-" Joshua cursed, smoothing their penises with precum and closing his hand around both of them. Then, he squeezed.

When he began pumping, Sora flew his eyes opened and cried into the skin of Joshua's neck, grabbing the boy's hair and pulling it as Joshua's other hand trailed around to cup his ass. They continued scissoring thighs, balls and puckered entrances meeting, nipples digging around each other as their ribs knocked together beneath the skin of their chests. When Joshua cried out against Sora that he was "coming," Sora grimaced and snapped, "whatareyoudoing?"

Against his will, Joshua sputtered with laughter. Then, his face screwed up and his mouth opened wide. White liquid burst from him between their chests. When the same surge left Sora as well, he screamed Joshua's name and trembled against him as the boy continued pumping, wincing when it became too sensitive. Even so, they continued thrusting, wincing through wave after wave until their shaking subsided and they draped against each other, spent.

"Fuck..." Joshua gasped, bringing one trembling hand to wipe away the sweat pinning his bangs to his forehead. He let Sora help without complaint, scrunching shut his eyes instead of scowling when the brunet mussed up his hair in the process of pulling it away form his face.

Sora's heart calmed as he combed Joshua's hair back, digging his fingers between each family of strands and trailing all the way down to the nape of Joshua's neck before repeating. His eyes drooped. His breath stilled. Hesitantly, he rested his cheek against Joshua's, closing his eyes and sighing in contentment as the tears pooled along the edge of his eyes met the tears against Joshua's.

"Minerva," Joshua exclaimed through chattering lips. "That was the best nonpenetrative sex I've had in my life."

"Sex?" Sora slurred in casual astonishment, wondering how what they had done counted for sex if no one's penis had entered anywhere.

"Well, maybe _best_ is pushing it," Joshua continued with a half snort, half sigh. "We could have gone way longer if I hadn't cut it premature with the handjob, but quality over quantity is always worth throwing into the mix..."

"How did we have sex?" Sora demanded through a whine, clasping Joshua's shoulder blade and rolling the skin above with his fingers.

The blond lifted his face up just enough to give Sora a frown. "Lesbian sex, Sora," he said simply.

"I'm not a lesbian, Joshua," returned Sora, mimicking Joshua's knowing tone drowsily.

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Obviously you're not a lesbian- but defining sex as purely penetrative is kind of insulting-"

"But I can't have had sex yet," Sora croaked. He should have been too tired to care. But he was so distraught by everything that had happened, his heart drowned with anxiety.

This could not be sex. He was not ready yet. He needed more time. He needed to make sure it was the right person.

Joshua opened his mouth like he was going to protest. But when he rolled over and saw the look in Sora's eyes, he softened, sighing and stroking the boy's sodden, honey brown hair. "You're right, Sora," he cooed. "It wasn't sex, it was just..."

"D-decompressing," Sora offered, warming when Joshua grinned. Taking a chance, he snuggled closer, until he was embracing the blond again.

Joshua's eyes rolled in his head as he attempted in vain to stay awake. "Decombresin," he slurred to himself. "Goodjob,Soruh..."

"Mh-hm," Sora responded. The last thing he registered was Joshua mumbling for them to clean themselves up. Then, everything fell silent. When he snapped his eyes open again, Joshua was moaning. This time, though, it seemed to be from agitation.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, _fuck_ ," the blond scowled, glancing out the cockpit window with bitten nails as the hazard lights in the ship began going off. When Sora asked what was wrong, the blond hissed that they were ten minutes away from landing.

"Ten MINUTES?" Sora barked, shooting up before remembering he was naked. When he pressed his hands down his stomach and brought back strange, half dry liquid, the color left his face.

Suddenly, the ship shuddered and he tripped over his feet. Yelping, he snapped his gaze outside the cockpit glass. The Land of Departure grew from speck, to softball, to watermelon before his eyes. Before he could dash for the ladder, Joshua roared for him to get in the passenger seat.

"But Joshua, I'm-" he started. The ship shuddered again and he slammed into the cockpit glass. Nursing a hefty bruise forming on his forehead, he decided sitting down was more important than cleaning himself up, clamping in both of their tablets before snapping on his seatbelt and wincing at the feeling of wet skin on scratchy cushion. Joshua was practically naked, as well, his jeans falling around his ankles as he fiddled with the controls and tried sitting down. When he bent to get hold of his pants, Sora stared between his legs, noticing that his ass was caked in glistening, milky liquid, too. When Sora recalled what they had done before they fell asleep, he groaned.

Joshua screamed, "FUCK!" and collapsed in his seat, jeans still around his ankles, seatbelt plugged in, and hands gripped like vices around the wheel. "Sora, man the laser!" he roared, whimpering as they hovered close enough to the atmosphere to break through it.

"Joshua, there are no heartless-"

"Fuck," Joshua said under his breath, sucking in to regain control. He closed and opened his eyes, pushing the breath out as he gave the twin peaks a determined glower. Then, gritting his teeth, he steered the ship down.

Cid Haze stood at the forecourt center with glow sticks flailing around him. When he was sure Joshua saw him, he pointed the glow sticks down and summoned the ship in a circle.

Joshua pushed out another breath and curved the ship right, dipping lower and lower until they were ten feet off the ground. When the ship's rear got a little close to one of the school's second floor windows for comfort, Sora whimpered and Cid Haze jumped up and down and indicated hard to the summit.

Joshua nodded and steered the ship farther away. When they were five feet clear of the ground, he pressed the breaks hard.

The gummi ship snarled in protest, puffing black smoke as a mysterious clanging sound rattled up from the pipes beneath the ladder. With a final, protesting shudder, the spacecraft roared, lurched forward, and whistled to a halt. When the clanging pipes silenced and the ship stilled completely, Joshua set in place the landing features, locked the wheel, and took out the ignition. Then he fell back in his chair, clapped his hands over his eyes, and exhaled.

For a moment, he and Sora slumped in exhaustion. Then, pulling back his hair, he glowered behind him and told Sora to make himself presentable.

Sora scrambled out of the cockpit and clambered down the ladder, wiping himself down with a towel and shoving on a semi-clean t-shirt and Zell's old running shorts. By the time he remembered he was not wearing any underwear, it was too late. Joshua was roaring for him to move to the side as he scrambled into a new outfit. By the time both of them opened the hatch and scaled the rope ladder to the ground, Xemnas was descending the Academy's entrance steps to greet them.

Sora clasped his legs together and tried sucking up his balls to keep them from peeking out the side of his shorts.

All the while, Xemnas approached with a reserved gate and gaze of suspicion, taking his time to glance the brunet up and down. When he got close enough to smell Sora, his nostrils flared and his lip curled.

Sora gulped, refusing to meet his eye.

When the headmaster asked Joshua how the trip down had been, Joshua chirped that they had just come from Disney Castle. "Turns out that cornerstone trick of yours really worked, Headmaster!" he beamed.

Sora marveled at how fast Joshua regained composure. Save for the dilation of his pupils and the twitch of his lips, no one would guess a single thing was wrong with him. When Sora tried a confident chuckle as well, Xemnas pierced him with a gaze that knocked the wind right out of him.

The man drifted coolly from Sora back to Joshua, murmuring that he had not asked about whether they completed their mission. "I asked about your trip back," he intoned.

Joshua's smile faltered. Curt, he stated that the trip back had been uneventful.

"Really," Xemnas whispered, glancing from Joshua to Sora again. "You both seem well rested."

Sora blushed so hard his face burned. Joshua stuttered that they had fallen asleep before landing. "It's been a long week," he explained. "But at least all of our midterms are taken care of!"

"Oh, I never said your club midterms were taken care of," Xemnas responded, running his hand lazily along the gummi ship's side. "The location of Disney Castle solely covers your combat midterms. Granted, every other graded assignment you have missed thus far will have to be reviewed, as well. It is now so late past their due date, I struggle to see the point in making you complete any of them at all."

"Well, I'm sure Sora and I don't mind that!" Joshua giggled.

Xemnas' ensuing gaze shut him up. "You should be very worried about your grades," he said in a quiet voice, staring towards Sora and sharpening his glance. "Very. Worried."

Joshua winced and followed Xemnas towards the front double doors just as Xigbar bounded out to meet them.

When the ravenet noticed Joshua's stony gaze and disheveled hair and Sora's Olympian blush and wobbling steps, he snorted and said that it looked like Joshua had entered the castle after all. "Does the oil and gas tank need checking?" he barked to Cid, grinning over his shoulder and biting his lip as if on the verge of guffawing. When Xemnas snapped for him to follow and keep quiet, he snorted and held out his hands in glee, patting a confused Cid Haze on the shoulder before leaving him to inspect the ship on his own.

As Sora watched Cid scramble up the ship's ladder, he squeaked that maybe he and Joshua could clean up alone.

"That is unnecessary," Xemnas responded. "Gummi ship inspections remain carried out by licensed professionals."

"Well, it's a good thing Cid Haze is doing it," Sora tried through a gulp.

"Cid Haze doesn't run inspections, kiddo," Xigbar called from Xemnas' side. "Xaldin does."

Sora nearly fainted on the spot. When he saw Joshua's cheeks go from white to green, he knew he was close to defeat as well.

Terrified his balls would upstage him as he climbed the stairs and driven mad by the sensation of wind against the bare dampness between his legs, he dug his hand down the back of his shorts and attempted tucking his family jewels between his buttocks while no one was watching, keeping his own eyes trained against the steps so he would not trip. When he gazed up again, he met Xemnas' wide amber eyes and felt his blood run cold.

The headmaster's nostrils and pupils dilated as he stared Sora down. Then, his gaze narrowed and averted as he incised that despite receiving his urgent email inside an asteroid belt closer to the Land of Departure than Radiant Garden, they had been three hours later in arriving than everyone else.

"The asteroid system Disney City is hidden within disables foreign travel and communication devices," Joshua interjected. "We didn't know about the call to return until one of the workers in the castle's gummi hanger came and told us that the ship's warning lights were going off-"

"I want a complete report of your time of arrival in Disney City," Xemnas cut in, "the time you received the update from the workers in the gummi hangar, and the time you left. If any items not pertaining to your missions are found within that ship's walls, they will be confiscated and examined by myself personally. If the ship does not pass inspection due to maintenance, operational, or cleanliness issues, you will both hear about it."

Sora and Joshua were too shocked to respond. When the latter asked in a small voice if they could be released to clean themselves up, Xemnas stated that they had thirty minutes to prepare for the school wide meeting at three. "Classes have been canceled for this event," he added. "Both juniors and seniors will be present."

When Joshua and Sora thanked him and moved to leave, Xemnas called Sora back.

Frozen in terror, Sora clenched his hands into fists and orbited slowly around on the balls of his feet.

Xemnas and Xigbar stood shoulder-to-shoulder, Xigbar smug and Xemnas unreadable. The headmaster leaned to his associate and told him to make sure Joshua went straight to his room. Xigbar complied, pushing Joshua along and through the exit to the stairwell. When they were gone, Xemnas told Sora to accompany him to his office. When Sora attempted objecting, the man turned and ascended the stairs past the grand hall alone.

For a moment Sora watched him walk. Then, deciding it was best to follow, he clambered up and shadowed him down the second floor hall.

It was a silent journey save for the squeak of Sora's sneakers and the swish of Xemnas' coat.

When the headmaster stopped abruptly before Eraqus' suite, Sora leapt away to avoid crashing into him. The man dug a set of keys from his pocket and filed through one after the other, picking his way towards the winner at a glacial, luxuriant pace. Finally, the correct one was found, the door was unlocked, and Xemnas filed inside with Sora tiptoeing a couple feet behind. As Xemnas strolled towards and settled behind Eraqus' severe oak desk, he told Sora to close the door behind him. When Sora complied and attempted seating himself, Xemnas told him to stand.

Sora did so, clasping his hands together between his legs like a fig leaf, feeling his balls shrink up without any help at all. He watched Xemnas extricate a file and write in it for what felt like ions, feeling the minutes pass like years on the grandfather clock behind the headmaster's silver head. When he cleared his throat, Xemnas glared up at him and snuffed him silent.

Sora held back the urge to sob.

Xemnas began writing again, the scrape of his quill deafening. Every time it touched the paper was a knife to Sora's skin. Just when the brunet thought he would go crazy, Xemnas announced that he heard he had had fun in the Land of Dragons.

Sora breathed in relief, propping up a smile and croaking that it had been formative. "I-I learned so much," he garbled. When he leaned forward, Xemnas held up his palm for him to remain away.

Sora faltered, continuing through a stutter that his aim had really improved. "For some reason my magic was off when I started traveling," he insisted, breaking into a grin when he thought of the way he had fought Shan Yu's dragon. "But you should have seen the fire spells I summoned when I defeated Shan Yu and the Huns!"

"I thought Mulan defeated Shan Yu and the Huns," Xemnas murmured.

Sora faltered a second time, gulping that that was technically true. "But the heartless were all me!"

Xemnas' eyes widened and dulled in silent mocking.

The gesture made Sora shrink on himself and return to silence. Again, the scratching pen drove him mad.

When he asked if he was free to go, Xemnas stood, tore the paper he was working on in half, and launched Eraqus' name holder for Sora's head.

Sora yelped and ducked as it smashed against the door behind him, wincing as it thudded to the carpeted floor where Eraqus' bloody corpse had once laid. Stillness engulfed the entire chamber. Somehow, Sora found the courage to glance up.

Xemnas loured before the desktop like a carven sculpture. When he relaxed he snorted, murmuring that aim was a useless skill to develop if one didn't know how to guard.

Sora remained with his hands shielded in front of him, mouth agape. "Wa," he started in disbelief, hands curling to fists as indignation burned through his body. "What was that for?"

"I am teaching you a lesson, Sora," Xemnas returned in an even, concise tone. "I am showing you what a lack of respect feels like, personally."

"But I didn't disrespect anyone!" Sora wailed. When Xemnas launched towards him, he backed towards the door, yelping as the man took hold of his arm.

Xemnas pulled him forward, forcing up his wrist until Sora stood on his tiptoes. After prying the boy's hand open and smelling it, he threw down the limb in disgust and circled Sora's shrinking form. The boy sniffed in a breath, pushing it out in staggered jumps as tears welled around his eyes.

"Do not cry," Xemnas intoned.

Sora's exhale came out as a sob. As his shoulders shook and his next breath made his lower lip slip behind his upper teeth, he wept.

Xemnas remained inches from his nose, staring down at him through a wide, expressionless amber gaze as the boy cowered away as much as he could. "Stand straight," the headmaster commanded.

Sora tried. When he could not, he broke down and covered his face in his hands, leaning over and wailing with abandon as the man's breath fell against his forehead.

Xemnas loomed less than a centimeter away. "How quickly the lessons fade," he murmured.

Sora cried harder.

"A month and a half in the Land of Dragons, teaching yourself what you should have learned from the moment you set foot in this school, honeymooning with Joshua in the countryside, fighting another world's war five weeks after discovering that your target, King Mickey, hadn't set foot in the Land of Dragons for at least five years. Going after a fugitive you were expressly forbidden from following atop the Tung Shao Pass-"

Sora looked up in horror, wondering how on earth Xemnas could possibly have known he was chasing Soddy. "How-" he started, but before he could finish, Xemnas interjected that other students had heard word in the capitol of a cloaked man wandering the mountains after Shan Yu.

"I had to send Xigbar to interview the few remaining imperial soldiers to confirm what really happened on the Tung Shao Pass. Unfortunately for you, one saw the man you were running after following the avalanche that killed the Huns."

"There were heartless," Sora sobbed, vision destroyed from tears. "I- I had no choice. Shan Yu said that- that he had been trying to lure me-"

"-And that he did-"

"-He would have killed the emperor if I-"

When Xemnas grabbed Sora's arm and shoved it from his face, Sora mewled and cowered so far he shrunk to half his standing size.

"When did you discover the Huns were targeting the emperor?" asked Xemnas. When Sora failed to respond, he gripped his arm harder.

Sora wailed and pried at his fingers, leaning back against the man's pull until he was nearly wrenched into his superior's arms.

"Look at me, Sora!" Xemnas boomed.

Sora whimpered and stared up at him, resisting the urge to piss himself as the man's pupils constricted and the citrine of his eyes swallowed them. Like this, he seemed a monster hiding in a human's skin. "Did you discover the Huns were targeting the emperor the same day you discovered that King Mickey was absent from that world?"

"Bu-but Shan Yu-"

"Answer the question I am asking, Sora."

"N-no-"

"Who else would the Huns have been targeting, Sora?"

"Shan Yu m-mentioned a key-"

"When did Shan Yu find out about the key blade?"

"The m-masked-"

"I'll give you a hint. Was Captain Li Shang aware of the cloaked man roaming the Tung Shao Pass the day his father entered the camp near your gummi ship and the day you joined the imperial army?"

"I- I don't know!"

"The answer is yes, Sora."

"O-okay."

"Yes, Sora!" Xemnas boomed. "Show me you are not brain dead. When I tell you to say yes, you say yes."

"Y-yes!"

"On the day you discovered Shan Yu was utilizing darkness and targeting key blade wielders in his plans of world domination, did you report it to your superiors?"

"N-no-"

"Why did you not acknowledge the updates telling you to desist and return to the Land of Departure?"

"B-because my tablet went out of batteries."

"Why did you not charge it?"

"I- I-"

"Say you were too far away from your gummi ship, Sora-"

"I- I was too f-f-far away from the gu-gu-gum-"

"Speak, Sora! Have you developed a stutter in addition to the inability to form concise sentences?"

"I was saving people!" Sora shrieked at the top of his lungs. When he sobbed louder and let the tears roll down like pearls from his shut tight eyes, Xemnas commanded him to keep eye contact. When the man's chest grew close enough to touch Sora's arm, his smell reminded him of Terra.

This time, Sora really did piss himself. Before the liquid could run down his legs, Xemnas scoffed and cast a blizzard spell on him, freezing the line of urine dribbling towards his socks like wax from a melting candle.

Sora shivered at the feeling of ice cold below his belly button, reestablishing eye contact like Xemnas had told him to. Humiliation dragged his shoulders around his ears as he shuddered and down with each labored breath.

Xemnas stared at the show in revulsion. "You stink of sex when you leave the ship that was entrusted to you for safe keeping," he started. "You piss and cry like an animal in my office. And then you have the gall to tell me you have spent the last month and a half _saving_ people?"

"I- I did, I swear!" Sora hiccupped in pleading. "I h-helped Mu-Mulan save the Land of Dragons, I- I was gi-gi-given a me-medal for, for being a h-hero!"

"How many members were left of the imperial army after you saved the capital?"

"Uh, s-seven foot soldiers, s-some people at the entrance to-to the vil-village, an-and one- one hundred castle guards."

"So let us round up and say that of the two hundred thousand members of the imperial army, only two hundred and seven survived."

"Y-yes."

"And of the Huns, if our census of fifty thousand remains correct, you murdered every single one of them bar four?"

"We-well M-Mulan-"

"Oh? Now Mulan gets the credit?"

Sora hiccupped in confusion, scalp splitting with a migraine that made him sway on his feet.

A mocking grin plastered across Xemnas' face as he hissed down. "How quickly a hero trades blame!" he marveled. "Tell me, Sora, if you had interviewed Li Shang upon first meeting him, left the Land of Dragons as commanded, and informed the Organization of the rumors surrounding Shan Yu's use of darkness a month before the Huns' ambush on the imperial army and the mountain village it camped within, how many innocent lives could have been saved?"

"B-but, but-" Sora stuttered. When he realized what Xemnas was saying, he flew his eyes open and stared at him in shock.

Xemnas gazed back, expectant.

Sora remained motionless, mouth ajar, eyes wide, and head cowered between his shoulders. He forgot to breath, and barely felt the beat of his heart. When Xemnas leaned close, his voice drifted over Sora's eardrums like syrup, thick with lament.

"How many lives do you have to destroy playing these little games of yours?" The man whispered. "I warned you so often that your foolhardiness would kill people. I never expected the number to reach the hundred thousands. But you continue to surprise me in the worst ways. Ever since I heard news of your hand in the slaughter, my mind couldn't help but return to that poor, innocent village. How many people did the Huns torture? How many were children your age, dreaming of becoming a hero, like you?"

"The Huns would've killed them anyway," Sora gulped, swallowing back bile as well as deep, growing self-hate.

"They did not have to, Sora," Xemnas whispered. "Under the Galactic Federation's constitution, Shinra and the Organization can step into a foreign world's affairs if given permission. Instead of furnishing an army doomed to failure, imagine if they had let us defend them? No one would have had to die at all."

"Th-that's not true," Sora hissed. "You- you can't save everyone."

"But I thought that was what you told Axel in your Skype interview to get here, that you _would_ save everyone," Xemnas murmured in feigned surprise. "Did you lie?"

Sora faltered, losing the ability to speak at all. His blue eyes centered on Xemnas', but they did not see. His mind fell blank.

Xemnas stared down at him in satisfaction, stepping away and folding his arms behind his back as the boy's fell limp at his sides. When he was certain Sora's emotional outburst had passed for good, he indicated for him to come to the door.

Sora stared after him, dumb as a post.

Xemnas cocked his head. Then he opened the door.

As it swung to the side, there was a yelp and clamor. When Xemnas stared into the hall, he noticed a huddle of Organization members just outside, glued together amidst sheepish giggles. They glanced from Xemnas to Sora in embarrassment; Demyx clapping his hand over his mouth and spewing muffled laughter when he spotted the dark patch on Sora's shorts.

"Superior!" Xigbar gasped in feigned shock. "I thought you said you were going to talk to him, not break him! He looks like one of those upended jumping frogs!"

Demyx burst into cackles, followed by a wincing, sniggering Luxord.

Xemnas snarled for them to disappear, pressing his hand between Sora's shoulder blades and shoving him into the hall. Sora forced his legs to work as he followed Xemnas and the rest of the organization present towards the nurse's office.

When Sora stared up in delayed curiosity, the headmaster pointed ahead. "If the thought of dead children hasn't moved you to rethink the enormity of the responsibility you have thus far flouted," he drawled, "perhaps this will." With that, he opened the infirmary door and filed towards a cot at the far end of the room with a curtain pulled in front of it. The outline of a man with a spiky hair moved behind, hand resting on the bedframe. When he heard coming footsteps, he jumped up and appeared at the room's center, blubbering that he was just checking on the returning student's vitals.

Axel. When he made eye contact with Sora, he glowered. But his gaze softened when he noticed the state the boy was in.

Sora stumbled like a machine past his shoulder, slowing the nearer he got. His lips and shoulders curled up, shielding him against the vision he knew he did not want to see.

When Xemnas reached the bedside, he turned and indicated for Sora to stand close.

"While you were off fucking the student I trusted most to keep an eye on you, watching movies with friends in Twilight Town, and 'saving' the Land of Dragons, your dear friend was being viciously tortured within an inch of his life by DiZ," he explained, "His assistant, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, whom Reno tells me you skinny dipped and went on ice cream dates with during his time here as associate professor and let escape on the Tung Shao Pass just days ago, forgot to chain his cage properly upon his return from the Land of Dragons. That is the only reason Roxas was able to escape. Because of his intelligence, we discovered that DiZ and Ansem captured Naminé and several memory pods. We discovered that she has been set for torture and disposal whenever she extends past her usefulness, and we discovered that DiZ and Ansem are targeting every child within this school's walls for capture. Should they succeed in their crusade, any surviving victims may turn out much like this."

With that, Xemnas pulled back the curtain.

When Sora saw what lay inside, he wailed. Immediately he was shushed, stared upon in rancor by the all of the organization present as Xigbar rushed to the bedridden student's side and comforted him through fitful sleep.

Roxas lay fitted with an oxygen mask, his chest drawing in ragged breaths as the plastic surrounding the mouthpiece dug into the corners of his sunken cheeks. His hair was shaved to reveal dark sores, his arms covered in bandages. His body was half its usual size, all bones and skin. The sun kissed blush that usually bathed him in golden light was gone, replaced by sallow swaths and shadows, as if he were a tiny leather canvas stretched over a frame too big for him. His fingers were lost in bandages and metal splints, but his hands were so bruised they looked black.

Sora stumbled towards him at a loss, staring from feature to feature of the boy he thought he knew. He did not move when Xemnas crept close to his ear and pointed over his shoulder.

"When they could not reach him through his body," the headmaster said, "they accessed his heart through his mind. I wonder what memories Naminé forced onto him in that pod world. If only you had given us her letter earlier on, we might have caught DiZ before he destroyed him. Pity, really," he chuckled, adding after a moment's thought, "it's almost like de ja vu, isn't it?"

When Sora would not respond, Xemnas shrugged and murmured that it reminded him of Riku.

"To think," he said. "That he most likely met the same fate, or worse, at the hands of the very same men. If only you had provided us with the truth at the right time. Such waste."

Sora stared at Roxas as he slept.

The boy's eyes rolled backwards and forwards beneath bruised, crusted lids as his lips sucked in and out in short gasps. Globs of sweat pooled around his eyes, his thoughts causing him to fidget with the little strength he possessed. Sora wondered what he was dreaming about.

A chortle wafted over his shoulder as Xemnas clucked his tongue and shook his head. "I wonder what your friends see before they die," he whispered. "I wonder if they see your face and wish they had never met you."

The figure before Sora turned to clay, the bed surrounding cheap balsa wood and shreds of old clothing, as if it were a toy in a massive dollhouse. The glass of the window behind softened and blurred. Numbness crawled up Sora's spine. His mouth fell dry. Then, his world went black. The last thing he heard was himself, hitting his nose against the post above Roxas' feet, and then sliding over the side and against the floor.

~X~

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